


Green Eyed Monsters

by Tweekscoffebean



Series: Fractured but whole AU [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon Gay Relationship, Craig loves tweek he doesnt cheat, Craig's Gang, F/M, Fights, First Kiss, Green eyed monsters, Jealous Tweek Tweak, Jealousy, M/M, Mental Breakdown, POV Craig Tucker, POV Kenny McCormic, POV Tweek Tweak, Percived cheating but not cheating, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22524790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tweekscoffebean/pseuds/Tweekscoffebean
Summary: prologue to Truth in LiesSlighty aged up characters (13/14).Tweek and Craig have never kissed, not on the lips anyways, and yeah it kind of bothers him but Tweek is happy with their relationship. So what? They have lots of time later for kissing, it doesnt mean anything they havent yet? Right?Then Thomas transfers  to their school  and  now Green eyed monsters have taken up residence in Tweek's brain.
Relationships: Clyde Donovan/Bebe Stevens, Craig Tucker & Tweek Tweak, Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak, Eric Cartman/Heidi Turner, Past Kenny/red, Thomas (South Park: Le Petit Tourette)/Craig Tucker, Thomas/Red
Series: Fractured but whole AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589137
Comments: 111
Kudos: 108





	1. Jealousy and Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to write a jealous Tweek fic, I know its kind of cliche Tweek being jealous of Thomas but it also fits so well into the canon. So here you go.
> 
> I also think this would be a good catalyst for their first fight/first kiss so it ties into my Fractured but whole series.
> 
> Craig also doesnt cheat its ALL in Tweek's head.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Tweek wanted was for Craig to kiss him, what he got instead was green eyed monsters running amok in his head.

Tweek's POV

Tweek averts his eyes, as they pass the couple in the hallway, the two young teenagers are entwined together. Eric's back pressed against his locker, his arms wrapped around Heidi's waist holding her close as they kiss.

Craig makes a face, as they walk past them, "gross," he says loudly and Tweek's heart falls to his feet. Was it the kissing part that grosses his boyfriend out? Or the fact that someone was willing to play tonsil hockey with Eric Cartman? cause yeah, that is kind of gross, but still it bothers him, how even Cartman gets kisses and he doesn't.

Still it's no big deal, it's not like they don't have lots of time for that kind of stuff later there is no real rush after all, but they have been together for 2 years, so why haven't they? Tweek shakes his head trying to dislodge these strange thoughts, there is no reason to think their relationship meant less because Craig hasn't kissed him. Craig kisses his forehead all the time, so it's not like he isnt getting some form of affection, he just never REALLY been kissed.

It doesn't matter, Tweek berates himself, as they turn into the Cafeteria. We are happy, so who really cares, besides being the only gay couple in the school maybe that meant they did those kind of things differently?

Out of the corner of his eye, Tweek see's Clyde talking to Bebe. He lifts his free hand to wave at their friend when it happens, Clyde leans forward and presses his lips to Bebe's lips.

Tweek stops mid step staring at them open mouthed. He can almost imagine what it would feel like to have another's lips, Craig's lips, pressed against his own. Would they be soft he wonders, or chapped? Would Craig hold him like Cartman was holding Heidi, or would it be more causal like how Clyde kissed Bebe?

Craig frowns as he follows his boyfriend's gaze. He sighs, "seriously " his monotone voice pulls Tweek from his obvious gawking. His face starts to heat up, a delicate bloom of color spreads across his nose. Oh God, what if Craig read his thoughts? oh God is Craig mad at him? Craig would never kiss him now, "AHhhh this is too much pressure," Tweek's usual murmur brings a small smile to Craig's face.

" Come on Babe," Craig's voice calms him in a instant, and for a moment he forgets all about the pressure of wanting to be kissed.

Tweek follows Craig to their usual table. He sits on the long wooden bench next to Craig. The raven haired boy wraps his arm protectively around Tweek's right shoulder. Tweek snuggles closer enjoying the warmth and safety his boyfriend's presence always brings. He looks sideways at Craig, who meets his eyes, a dopey little grin sliding across his lips for a moment ,before his usual look of Indifference is back. Token sits across from them Clyde joins them blowing a kiss at Bebe, as he slips into his seat across from Craig.

Tweek can feel his heart pounding at the gesture, he glances sideways at Craig, the older boy is poking at his food in disinterest. He just missed the whole thing Tweek realizes, he sighs wishful, it's not like Craig would do anything romantic like that anyways. But still wouldn't it be nice, to at least get blown a kiss, if Craig wont give him a real one.

Craig's arguement with Clyde pulls Tweek from his musings.

" No Bebe can not come to movie night," his monotone voice informs. "Its supposed to be a guys weekend."

" But Craig, Tweek is going to be there.." Clyde whines.

"Tweek is a guy," Token states trying in his way to stop the other two from arguing." And our friend." 

"But it's not fair Craig gets to have Tweek there I should be able to bring Bebe."

" it's guys night not date night, idoit."

At Craig's response Clyde bursts into tears both Craig and Token roll their eyes and continue eating their lunch.

Jimmy had finally joined them he lowers himself into the seat next to Clyde. Clyde turns and looks at Jimmy, his eyes swimming with crocodile tears and he sniffs, "Jimmy they won't let me bring Bebe"

" its guys weekend no girls allowed, " Jimmy's response causes Clyde to groan and start lamenting how unfair life is.

" B-besides,"Jimmy continues, " if you brought Bebe we c-couldnt go-oo- goos- talk about the ladies.".

Clyde wipes at his eyes with his right sleeve, "but Tweek is going be there, it's not fair."

Craig is openly glaring at Clyde, " Do you have a problem with us being gay?"

"GAH Craig... you just can't.. oh God.." Tweek is burying his quicky reddening face in his hands. 

"Well?" Craig demands ignoring Tweek's embarrassment.

" of course not, how can you think something like that?" Clyde moans in distress. 

"Just think of all the embarrassing stuff we can make Craig admit."

Craig turns his icy stare onto Jimmy, "you can try."

Clyde wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his red hoodie. " really?"

Token and Jimmy are nodding in unison, Craig awards their loyalty with the middle finger on both his hands. He then turns his attention to Tweek who is still hiding his face in his hands.

"It's okay, Babe, " he reaches out and pulls Tweek's hands from his face. Interlocking the fingers of his left hand with those of Tweek's right hand. " we will be a united front against those idoits."

Tweek peeks at their three friends. Jimmy has turned to Token and is sharing a joke. Token laughs and wipes tears out of the corner of his eyes. Clyde is stuffing his face with Tacos. He turns his eyes back onto his boyfriend. Craig has returned to poking at his pasta with his fork. His bottom lip glistens slightly as he brings his tongue out and licks it . Tweek can't take his eyes off of Craig's lips, absentmindedly he wonders what they would taste like. Craig is looking at him funny, and Tweek is finding it hard to swallow. For a moment as he continues to stare at his boyfriend he gets a crazy idea, what if he did it? What if he just leans forward and...

"Did you want some?" Craig asks, he is holding up his fork spaghetti twirled around its metal teeth.

Horror dawns on him as he realizes he had actually been leaning forward. Oh God what am I doing? He had almost...

Craig is staring at him in expectation, fork stretched out in front of him, " well?" 

Heart fluttering like a zillion tiny bats are trapped inside his chest, Tweek leans forwards and places his lips around the offered fork. Craig's fork, the fork which had just touched Craig's mouth moments ago. This is like a indirect kiss. Oh God, this is so much better then any blown kiss. 

Slowly he chews the pasta Craig had practically fed him, how romantic is that!

Annoyance crumbles across Craig's brow as their friends chorus of awwwwws intrude on their little moment but Tweek doesnt care. He still feels dizzy from the knowledge that Craig had just done something so romantic in front of their friends.

A blur of red comes into Tweek's peripheral vision, he blinks as the image comes closer and closer. Kyle is walking quickly towards their table dragging a cute blond teenager behind him. The guy looks sort of familiar but Tweek cant quite place from where. The blond boy in question has green eyes (not quite as dark as Craig's) and freckles across his nose. He waves somewhat shyly to their group standing awkwardly just in front of their table..

"Holy shit, " Clyde says through a mouthful of Taco.

" That's fucking gross," Craig laments.

" Hi Craig, "the blond standing in front of their table says. He flashes a wide toothy smile, his green eyes sparkling. The kid is ridiculously handsome, and for some reason he does not quite comprehend, Tweek feels uneasy.

Craig looks away from Tweek and at the blond who just addressed him. His eyes widen in shock and he drops Tweek's hand. "Thomas?"

The blond, no Thomas nods, " Craig, holy cockballs, Kyle told me you were here but I didnt believe him."

Craig is staring, looking at Thomas a unreadable expression on his face.

That feeling of unease grows, as Tweek watches the two stare at eachother. He looks down at his hand, the very hand that until moments ago had been safely cradled in Craig's fingers.

" oh oh Tweek you may..." Jimmy begins but is cut off by Clyde's hand pressed across his mouth and a warning look from Token.

Thomas is sliding into the seat on the other side of Craig. The dark haired boy has completely turned his body in the blonde's direction, and it feels as if he is ignoring Tweek's existence. His left leg is pressed against Tweek's right leg, so that is something right? Craig leg vibrates against his own,as he practically bounces in his seat. That dopey grin from earlier is back on his face, but it's not directed towards Tweek. No, Craig is oblivious to his boyfriend of 2 years presence, and is completely focused on the intruder. That is what Thomas is, Tweek decides, a intruder.

"Are you transferring here?" Craig asks the intruder, and his tone of voice is soft that special tone he only uses for Tweek.

Something twists in Tweeks guts as Thomas nods, and grins at Craig, his stupid pretty eyes all doe eyed and fluttering, like he was one of those stupid girls that didnt believe Craig is gay.

Tweek moves himself slightly closer to Craig and reaches for his hand. Craig let's him take it but doesnt react like he usually does. He doesnt squeeze Tweek's hand or rub his thumb against the others fingers in comfort. He just sits there arm hanging loosely at his side allowing Tweek to hold his hand but NOT holding it back.  
Tweek is starting to twitch, his body shaking with nervous energy, usually Craig would respond to these nervous outbursts with gentle words, or a quick kiss across Tweek's brow. He does nothing.

Their friends are watching this exchange worried expressions on their faces. Clyde keeps shifting his gaze back and forth between Craig and Thomas, he is refusing to look at Tweek at all..  
Token has this fake little smile on his face, as he watches this little scene play out, every time he catches Tweek's eyes his smile fades for a moment but then reappears as if he is hiding some big secret..  
Jimmy is trying to talk to Thomas but Craig keeps interrupting him. Its obvious he wants Thomas attention soley to himself and as Tweek watches them, he feels like he is sinking.

It's okay, Tweek tries to reason with himself, Craig has never given him a reason to doubt him, so why would he do so now?  
He watches the two huddled together from the corner of his eye, a small tight smile forced on his lips ,as he see's Craig lean in closer to the other boy and whisper something Tweek can't hear.  
The other blond laughs, a quiet sound that sends trembles of fear through Tweek's entire body.  
Oh God, what are they laughing about? Why is Craig sitting so close to the other?  
Why is he feeling so nervous about the way Craig's looking at Thomas?.  
A murmur of discontent falls from Tweeks lips before he can stop it, the others at the table finally look at him, everyone but Craig. Craig is too busy conversing with Thomas to even notice Tweek. The strange raw bitter feeling wraps itself further into Tweek. A shadow that bores it's way into Tweek's subconscious. His heart hammering painfully with every passing second that Craig's attention remains on Thomas.  
I bet I could just get up and leave, and he wouldnt even notice, Tweek thinks miserably. He slumps further into his chair trying to disappear, trying to reason with the voices whispering inside his mind.  
Just look Tweek, they command, and even though it's the last thing he wants to do, even though he rather go on pretending nothing is wrong, his eyes tell him otherwise.

Craig is completely leaned into the other boy now, their faces so close they would be kissing If Thomas moves his face a inch.

Tweek's hand is empty again, he stares down at it, coldness fills his lungs, its icy kiss making it harder to breath. 

He doesn't want you anymore, the voices sing, Why would he? Why would he want a spaz like you when he could have him!  
Insistent they ring in his ears, his vison clouds over as they start to take shape in front of him. Small, hazy green shadows that fall over Craig and Thomas.They morph into shapes, half formed man shaped creatures, monsters that are out in full force. They smile at him, large toothy grins, gaping mouths dripping with green sludge. They look like the gnomes only with decaying wings. They open there arms wide and fly straight for him.  
" Gah, Oh GOD they're going to get me," Tweek shrieks.. he is staring at something invisible to the others. His eyes wide with fear his prone form tense, rigid, until violent tremors seize him. He leans forward, hands over his face, shaking his head. "No. No, no, go away,".  
Everything runs green, as the Monsters assault him, they are hovering just above his head, seductive, tantisling lies mix with half truths. Craig has never kissed him, not on the lips, they have been together for two years and have never kissed. The green monsters seem to delight in this, Look at them, they shout, look at how close their lips are!"  
Tweek moans, a pained, desperate sound, his gaze unwillingly turns to his soon to be ex boyfriend and the one who stoled him.  
The Monsters are in his brain feasting on the thin line that holds him to reality.  
His body feels heavy as he climbs to his feet, the monsters showing him all sort of fun stuff that Craig and Thomas will soon be doing. No,they laugh, have always been doing.  
His red rimmed eyes fall in and out of focus as they stare at the one who betrayed him. He stands swaying slighty ignoring the worried cries of his friends.  
His voice sounds wrong, even in the grip of his psychosis, he recognizes this. The words are not his own, they belong to the monstrous green feelings taking control of him. " How long has this been going on,"  
Then he is running fast out of the cafeteria, running from the heart break that only exists in his own mind, and yet still his jealousies follow painted in the shape of Green eyes monsters.

To be continued


	2. The monsters inside your head belong to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig should have never given into the monster in his own head, now it's to late, and everything is wrong, so wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is kind of a retelling from Craig's POV. I thought it was important to see just where his head is at especially concerning Thomas and why the hell he hasnt kissed Tweek yet..  
> The rest of the story will he told in a more normal way.

Craig hates the other students at his school hates them with every fiber of his being. They lack respect(amongst other things) they have no respect for other people, and zero respect for themselves. They allow themselves to be moved by the most basic of all emotions, love. It wasnt that Craig didnt do love. He is in fact, in his opinion, way over his head, but being in love was one thing, allowing love to control you, another. No, he would never allow that, Craig is not nor will he ever be love's bitch.

That is why he finds himself disgusted by his entire class (aside from Tweek) and their need to give into love and all the primal urges associated with such a emotion.

Speaking of those urges there is the Fat ass and Heidi Turner going at it in the hallway, abosouletly disgusting, didnt the two of them have anything better to do then contaminate the school with their love germs?  
He turns from their all to public declaration of affection and looks at his boyfriend. Tweek's eyes are pitched downwards, his face slightly flushed. He is slouched forward, his entire body converted away from the couple kissing up against their lockers. He looks stressed. He's probably just as grossed out as I am, Craig thinks. He squeezes the hand he currently is holding letting Tweek know he is in full and total agreement.  
"Gross," his monotone voice announces eyes flicking momentarily back onto Heidi and Cartman.

Tweek says nothing just continues walking eyes cast down. He is biting his bottom lip something he does often when he is worried. 

Craig wonders if he should say something as they enter the Cafeteria. Wonders if its one of those times Tweek's paranoia has awakened. Tweek has anxiety it can get quite bad at times. For the most part Craig has learned how to help the other boy control it, but every once in a while when things get really bad, Tweek will have a eposide. His mind causing him to see and feel things that are not there. In the two years they have been together this has only happened once with the whole nuclear weapon bullshit. Still his boyfriends reaction to their classmates extremely annoying and gross PDA's is just a bit alarming.

Tweek's probably worried about them spreading actual germs around the school, Craig muses to himself. This is actually the reason their own relationship hasnt moved past hand holding because he is all to well aware of how Tweek would react if he actually kissed him. Its not that Craig hasnt thought about it, every second of every moment of every day, and while he is sleeping (he has had some errr interesting dreams )It's not that he doesnt want to kiss Tweek, it's just that he refuses to let love make him its bitch, he is bigger then his emotions,and the urges that come along with them. Then there was the talk he had with his dad, he shudders slightly at the memory the more they hold off on doing anything 'inappropriate' as his dad put it the less he would have to talk with his dad about it. Last and really the only reason he hasnt pushed Tweek up against his locker, or the school wall, or pushed him down against his desk, and kissed him until they are both dizzy from lack of oxgen is because Tweek would freak out. He would probably think kissing would gave him mono or some other fatal disease. A small smile slips across his lips as he imagines pushing Tweek against the Cafeteria wall and kissing him, only for the other to push him away, screaming about how Craig just gave him Ebola. He suppresses a laugh at the thought of a spazzing Tweek then flipping him off before angrily running out of the school and putting himself into quarantine.

The line to buy their food isnt very long and before long they are heading to their usual table. Token is already there his fancy home packed lunch spread out in front of him. He nods in their direction.  
Craig affectionately flips him off before running into a suddenly prone Tweek. He nearly spills his lunch all over the blond but is able to stop his tray from tipping forward.  
"Tweek are you...." the words he was about to say die on his lips as he follows his boyfriends gaze. Directly in front of them slightly to the right sits a table of girls. Wendy, Bebe, Annie and a few of the Asian girls(who appear to be drawing). Clyde is over there conversing with Bebe, she is laughing at something (probably lame) that Clyde just said.  
From the corner of his eye, he sees Tweek lift his left hand up, he is in mid wave, when Clyde joins the ever growing list of love's bitches in his head, Clyde leans forward and casually, like it's no big deal kisses Bebe.  
"Seriously," Craig is beyond annoyed. He should known Clyde would cave and honestly he wouldnt usually care but now he is going to have to listen to Clyde brag about the kiss all fucking day, great!

Tweek is acting even odder after witnessing Clyde and Bebe's disgusting little display. He is way to quiet as they sit at the table and start eating their lunches. 

Clyde joins them, he is practically floating across the Cafeteria as he walks towards them.  
Great, just great, he is going to be so insufferable.  
Token is giving Craig this be nice look as Clyde slides into the seat directly across from him . Clyde blows Bebe a kiss, and Craig has to bite down hard on his bottom lip, so he doesn't roll his eyes. How lame can you get, blowing a kiss?  
Clyde sighs happily, a dreamy look on his face.  
"Isnt Bebe just the most beautiful person you have ever seen?"  
Craig just looks at Clyde, he is such a idoit, Craig shakes his head, steals a quick glance at Tweek. He feels his lips widen into that dopey love sick grin he gets anytime the blond looks at him. It still doesnt mean he is loves bitch though.  
Tweek smiles back, and Craig's insides melt, it's like he is snowman on a warm summer day turning into a fucking puddle just cause Tweek smiled at him.  
" I can think of one person more beautiful then Bebe," he hears himself say, ugh gross, Craig, just gross.But it's TRUE Tweek is the most beautiful, radiant, ethereal object in all of existence. His hair is the color of the stars, its texture soft, like golden silk spun on a spinning wheel. Its Tweek's eyes though that really haunt him. Large, round, aqua blue, the color of the deepest parts of the ocean. Sometimes when he looks into his eyes Craig feels as if he is drowning, raw emotions pulling him under the crystal clear blue waters of Tweek's being. Craig makes a face emotions are so gross. 

Clyde is looking at him,brown eyes as wide as flying saucers, " you cant honesty mean that," he places a hand, palm down on Craig's forehead pretending to check his temperature.  
"Bebe is the prettiest most amazing girl in the entire school, how could you say anyone is more beautiful then her?  
Clyde really is a idoit.  
Token is laughing as he eats his lunch. He finishes chewing, takes a drink of his expensive cranberry apple juice, and looks Clyde right in the eye. "I dont think Craig appreciates girls beauty."

" what?!" Clyde actually looks hurt by this revelation.

" I am gay," Craig reminds him. To emphasize this point he casually throws his arm around Tweek's shoulder Tweek leans into his touch causing Craig's stupid heart to stutter.

" No offense to Tweek, but come on Bebe shes... wait...." Clyde jumps to his feet, " I just had the best idea."

"NO!" Craig's instant reply cuts Clyde off. 

"Come on it would be so much more fun if Bebe joined us."

"Having a guys night means No Girls are allowed." Token chimes in.

"But is not fair," Clyde's bottom lip is trembling." Tweek's coming."

"Its guys night not date night, idoit."

" y-you just want to have all us guys to yourself," Jimmy winks at Craig as he sits down on the other side of Clyde Instantly he starts arranging things on his cafeteria tray 

"Oh, yes, I am totally going hit on you all in front of my boyfriend," Craig deadpans, he gives Tweek's hand a quick squeeze to show him that he is joking. Tweek is not the jealous type but he has been weirdly quiet all day.

" I c-can take Tweakers off your hands," Jimmy teases with a grin.

Craig graces Jimmy with his middle finger. He knows his friend is just trying to bait him, probably trying out the punch line of some joke or something. He shakes his head and offers Jimmy his best glare. "Sorry think I am going to keep him."

Clyde turns to Jimmy. " Tweek is coming to guys night, and they wont let me bring Bebe, It's not fair!" He sniffs a few times as fat crocodile tears slide across his face. 

" Tweek is a guy and our friend,"Token says in a curt this discussion is over voice.

"But..its not fair!"

"Do you have a problem with us being gay?" Craig's arms are folded across his chest and he is glaring at Clyde.

"Oh my god, Craig, you just cant..."

Tweek is completly flushed, he is shaking his head hands covering his face and he looks so cute. He's just so fucking cute, Craig thinks, as he leans forward slightly. It takes all of his self control not to just grab him by the corner of his shirt and press his lips against all and any exposed flesh he can find.

" of course not, how could you even think that."Clyde's voice pulls Craig back to reality and prevents him from doing something stupid and incredibly embarrassing.

Jimmy shrugs, "besides if Bebe comes we cant go-gooo- gosi- talk about the ladies."he leans forward resting his chin on his hands, " I bet we could make Craig admit embarrassing stuff."

"You can try."

"Clyde wipes his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie," Really."

Jimmy and Token nod in unison causing Craig to flip them both off.

"we can make him tell us about their first kiss, Jimmy's eyes flick back and forth between Craig and Tweek.

Tweek makes this gasping sound, and drops his eyes down to the table. 

Craig looks over at him with concern. "Babe?" There is something wrong with him he thinks. He glares at his friends silently telling them to cut it out.

Tweek finally looks at Craig. He is leaning forward slighty, a strange look on his face. His eyes are wide, his lips parted slightly, Is he going to? No- there is no way. Craig shakes his head slightly unnerved by thoughts running through his head.

He takes his fork off his food tray and pokes his pasta with it, twirls the spaghetti around the metal teeth and then holds the fork out towards Tweek.  
" Did you want some babe," The question is more of a cover really, he is worried that the others at the table can see just where his thoughts had gone a few seconds ago. He shakes his again but still can't get over the notion that Tweek was about to kiss him. His mouth feels dry, and he swallows trying to dislodge the lumps rapidly multiplying in his throat. His hands shake slightly as he pushes his fork out in front of him closer to Tweek. "Well?" His voice is slightly pitched, damn he didnt mean to sound so nervous.  
Tweek looks at him his eyes darting back and forth between Craig's face and the fork. Slowly he leans forward and then his lips are around the fork. Craig has to shift his gaze downwards so he won't do something stupid, like forcefully take the food he just hand fed Tweek back with his own mouth. Which is kind of gross once he thinks about it, but its not so much the food part his brain is hung up on but the way Tweek's lips had parted slightly to slide around his fork. How they were then pressed up against the utensil before pulling away. How more then anything Craig wants those very same lips pressed up against his own.  
A chorus of awwwws interrupt Craig's thoughts , he forces a annoyed look on his face, and proceeds to flip every single one of them off, but in reality he is thankful. He shifts his gaze away from Tweek and goes back to poking listlessly at his lunch. His heart is racing way to fast for his liking and this, this very reason is why he is so annoyed with the entire school. If they werent so preoccupied with eachother then he wouldnt be inundated with these weird thoughts or so he tells himself. Never mind the fact that his brain is kind of constantly bombarded with thoughts of kissing Tweek all the time.

He is so lost in his own musings that he doesnt see or hear Kyle approach them.

Clyde is speaking with his mouth open again, and its gross so he tells him so, but then the world seems to tilt for a moment and all inappropriate thoughts about Tweek he is currently struggling against dissapear.

Standing nervously at the foot of the table is Thomas. Thomas, Craig's first crush and once good friend. Thomas who disappeared from his life two years ago, and probably didnt even know he is gay or in even in a relationship.  
Craig stares at him eyes wide and mouth flopping open and shut like a puffer fish. He doesn't even realize he has dropped Tweek's hand nor does he see the horrified look cross Tweek's face as Craig stares at the other boy. His entire focus soley on Thomas. He hasnt seen or spoken to the other in 2 years. Thomas and his family had left southpark just a few weeks before the 'yaoi incident' happened. There is so much he wants to tell his friend, so much he wants to share with him. He cant wait to introduce Thomas to Tweek. He is sure the both of them will become great friends that they would bond because of their special disbilities, but then fear coils around his stomach. What if Thomas doesn't want to be his friend because he is gay?

It's at this precise moment he feels Tweek reach for his hand, he loosens his arm slightly hoping Thomas hasnt noticed. He wants to drop Tweek's hand until he is sure what his friends stance is but he can't bare to do so, he senses that Tweek would be hurt, and he would never willingly hurt Tweek. 

So he sits there silently praying that Tweek will drop his hand, instead Tweek's grip tightens. He is also twitching slightly, Craig can feel the other boys tremors through their joined fingers. He risks a sideways glance at Tweek.  
The blond is twitching, his whole body convulsing with anxious movements. His face is pale and his eyes wide panic radiates off of him in waves. Craig's bottom lip curves down slightly usually he would do something to calm Tweek, but he just sits there arm lax, fingers barely grazing Tweek's.

Craig shifts his gaze away from Tweek and back onto Thomas, if his friend has noticed the fact that Craig is (barely) holding hands with another boy he hasnt let on. Usually Craig wouldn't care what others thought about his relationship with Tweek. It was no ones business but his own, but this was Thomas. His long lost friend and probably the coolest guy he has ever known and the thought that Thomas would possibly hate him for being gay makes him feel weird.  
His stomach turns his guts sour nausea assults him. He drops Tweek's hand, ignoring the small sound of displeasure his boyfriend makes, and leans forward slightly. He places both of his hands on his stomach.  
Thomas notices Craig doing so and leans forward closer to Craig.  
And oh wow are his eyes really pretty, Craig is slightly taken back by the thought. In the two years since he admitted his feelings for Tweek, he hasnt looked at another boy.Now here he sits stomach all tied in knotts terrified what Thomas would think if he knew, practically ignoring Tweek.  
Hes probably still crushing a little bit on Thomas, and the realization rocks him. Shock radiates through him, cold and numb. He shakes his head trying to dislodge these weird thoughts.  
Thomas is saying something but Craig cant fathom what. He blinks slowly and looks at Thomas.  
The other moves even closer till his lips are right up against Craig's ear. " you look like you just saw a ghost."

" must been the Cafeteria food," Craig mumbles.

Thomas laughs and then smiles. His smile is radiant, it lights up his entire face, and Craig is all to well aware of how attractive Thomas has become.  
Craig blinks again desperately trying to make sense of what is happening to him.  
He couldnt still be crushing on Thomas could he? He loves Tweek, like he is in deep, head over the moon(or whatever) loves him. So how could he crush on someone else? His brain fumbles with this onslaught of information trying to find some semblance of normalcy. Thomas is staring at him, his emerald eyes slightly closed in concentration he leans even closer. In the distance Tweek makes this sound of discontent making Craig feel dizzy. His heart slams against his ribs, thud thud thud, a sickened chorus of beats drumming within his chest. The nausea is back, and with it a feeling he barely recognizes. He knows he should turn and look at Tweek, should offer him some measure of comfort,but he cant turn his gaze, cant bring himself to face Tweek.  
He'll know, his mind all but screams, if Craig looks at him, he will know and then he will lose him.  
So Craig pretends he doesnt sense the other break down, pretends that he couldnt do something to prevent this. He focuses on Thomas. If he can some how get through the rest of lunch without having to acknowledge his boyfriend then he can deal with whatever these weird feelings are without damaging his relationship.  
It's a solid, logical plan, and Craig Tucker is nothing but logical.  
He keeps his concentration on Thomas, shoots Jimmy dirty looks when he tries to converse with the other.  
Then Tweek starts shouting about something attacking him, his voice laced with fear, and Craig nearly turns to him, nearly pulls the trembling blond into his arms, instead he Ignores Tweek's outburst. He cant risk Tweek getting the wrong idea about his loyalty. Even if he was/is crushing on Thomas, he loves Tweek and its Tweek he wants to be with, but he knows, just knows, Tweek wouldn't understand, not when his anxieties turn to paranoia.  
Craig takes a deep breath and counts to ten, his eyes flicker to the clock sitting on the Cafeteria wall. Ten more minutes and then lunch is over and he can go to gym class with Clyde and Token. He will find a round about way to bring it up, casually ask for advice. He can admit he is attracted to Thomas but he doesnt want to do anything about it, doesnt plan to do anything. He just wants to keep it secret, hidden from Tweek.  
The hand on the clock moves ever so slowly, Craig groans in frustration. Come on, come on, come on.  
Thick silence falls over his group, the air palpable with tension something is about to break and it's too much Craig cant take it anymore, he will make Tweek understand. It will be okay, its just a little thing, just a attraction, barely even a crush. It didnt have to mean the end to everything. He turns and looks at his boyfriend. Even in his fear induced state, even with the twitching and little ticks, even with his eyes wide and red rimmed, even with his hair messed up, Tweeks hands clenched in it, even as a anxious mess Tweek Tweak is still the most beautiful person Craig has ever seen.  
His heart both soars and sputters downward at the same time, and he hates himself for not doing something earlier. He hates himself for not realizing that Tweek's needs should have come before his own insecurities.  
Craig groans in frustration at his own stupidity and then reaches for Tweek's hand.  
" Tweek," the others name barely falls past his lips before Tweek has slipped from his grasp.  
Tweek jumps to his feet and takes a shaky step towards Craig and Thomas. There is a pained look in his eye mixed with some undisclosed emotion.  
Then his voice, furious, trembling with a mixture of betrayal and anger speaks words Craig never thought he would ever have reason to speak. " How long has this been going on?"

"Tweek, I.. it's not what you...."

But Tweek didn't wait for his answer, he turns from Craig, and flees now nothing more then a blurry figure running from the Cafeteria.  
And Craig just sits there, heart in his throat, ears filled with static, breath coming out in great long gasps as his friends and Thomas stare at him. Then the feeling he has been feeling from the moment Thomas suddenly reappeared grows. Tweek knew and now, now it's all over. The feeling wraps itself around him, coils around everything poisoning all they had spent the past two years building. And even though he did nothing but find a old friend attractive, he feels as if he has betrayed Tweek in the worst way, he hurt him, destroyed the delicate balance they walked on. That feeling currently eating it's way through his body isnt really a feeling, no its a monster of his own, and even though he never did anything to warrant it. This monster courses through him, burning him as if he had actually cheated. This monster has a name Guilt. 

To be continued


	3. And the Monsters lead to madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tweek's grip on reality falters as his jealousy pulls him further into the paranoid whispers of his own mind.
> 
> Warnings major mental breakdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tweek I am so so so sorry.  
> 

He runs from the Cafeteria legs shaking, breath falling in and out, vision blurred by tears tinted green. His feet fall on the tiled floor, steps echo the half hazard beat of his poisoned heart.

As the doors to the Cafeteria fall shut behind him Tweek stops mid step, he looks around, the slate grey walls of the school soothes him, the steel lockers (most decorated with stickers ) stare at him. Everything is the same, every thing is normal. Tweek takes a deep breath and then laughter bubbles out from deep within the depths of his guts. He stands there in the middle of the hallway, leaning forward, hands on his knees until the laughing fit has left him.

Logic has returned and for a brief moment Tweek is able to see the truth in between his minds lies. He stands up straight stretching his arms above his head before allowing them to fall carelessly to his sides. He was so silly, he had made a big fuss over nothing. Craig was going to tease him mercilessly for being jealous. He can already see the other's cocky grin.

"But this isnt the first time, is it? someone or something whispers In his ear. " He ditched you for Thomas before, do you remember?"

The accusation rocks him and the giddy silly feeling washes away.

He shakes his head desperately trying to cling to reality, "No," he moans.

"Yes," the voice in his head implores. 

Suddenly the memory falls over him crashing against his mind in waves of violent colors. 

Nine year old Tweek had been waiting at the corner of the street for twenty minutes, it wasnt like Craig to be late, his bestfriend prided himself in being predictable and boring. Something was wrong? Something bad had happened! Tweek was near full panic when from the corner of his eye he saw Craig's trademark hat come into view followed by the young boy himself. Tweek breathed a sigh of relief, Craig probably just got distracted by Stripe. He raises his hand and starts waving frantically in the other's direction but Craig was walking in the opposite direction and he was following behind another person, holding a basket of laundry. Tweek's arm falls and he stares at the two bitterly before turning around and running home his body tensed with a emotion he couldn't quite define.

Tweek shakes his head , his eyes dart around drastically the edges of the memory slowly fading as his gaze falls onto the familiar grey of the high school walls..  
"But... but. I had the wrong day, Craig didn't ditch me, I was confused." His defence of his then best friend feels hollow.

He remembers how he felt about Thomas and Craig's friendship. How he had been afraid he was losing his best friend, but he hadn't, hadn't so why would he lose Craig now? Craig loved him.. right? He moans slightly, his twitching starting to become more aggressive, his desperate attempts to deny the madness bubbling beneath the surface fading.

Its True Craig had been enamoured with Thomas back when they were kids, he had been fascinated by the other's disorder and the freedom it gave him but his interest in Thomas hadn't been romantic. He had just been envious of Thomas. That is why...why...he was so fascinated with him now....

"Are you sure," the voices implore.

Tweek swallows, his throat suddenly parched.

Coldness falls over everything and from the corner of his eye he sees shadows form against the walls. Black tendrils, shaped much like spiders, seem to crowd him. Closing in faster and faster causing Tweek to take a step backwards. The spider like shadows pulsate once, twice then morph, there bodies becoming wider, more hideously misshapen. Color begins to spring forth from these abominations, slithering streams of blues, blacks, and green so much green, stretching out towards him.

A muddled cry of fear escapes Tweek as he stops misstep paralyzed.

He is still in the middle of the schools hallway but it's all wrong. Nothing looks right nothing looks normal everything keeps warping in and out of focus as if he had stepped through some kind of portal to another dimension. One minute he is surrounded by the comforting cold grey walls and steel lockers lining the walls of his high school the next he is standing in a vast empty room. His vision becomes cloudy and then everything blurs. Tweek blinks trying to pull his surroundings back into focus as green falls casting hues of darkening shadows everywhere he looks.  
Pain rolls across his body starting at the base of his head, a pressure that seems to grow with every passing moment.

"ACK, NO!" He shrieks as he feels tiny green hands fall onto him. Their claws pressing through his clothes and into his flesh. The creatures are moving the pain forward pressing it into every crevice of his being. They scrape and tear until they reach his heart.

Cold whispers of things Tweek doesnt want to hear, words that echo through his every nightmare become louder and louder as a figure steps towards him from the green mist. 

Its Craig but he is all wrong. He is all twisted like some kind of monster. His limbs and features half formed like he is nothing but a green apparition.  
The Craig thing looks at Tweek. Emerald eyes distorted with hatred and disgust. " why would I want you..." another figure is forming from the green mist directly behind Craig, "when I can have him!"  
The second mist creature is similar to the Craig monster his features twisted into a cartiture that vaguely resembles the real person. Its Thomas but not Thomas. The Craig Creature pulls the fake Thomas closer. They look at Tweek eyes hard and cold, mouths open rows and rows of sharp pointy teeth gleaming at him.  
"Your pain is delicious," The Craig monster says as he links half formed fingers with the Thomas phantom.  
"NO, your not real," Tweek shouts closing his eyes against the visions before him.  
He feels their cold fingers caress against his skin leaving vapors of green smoke which clog his senses forcing him to cough and sputter.

"Tweek, open your eyes." The voice is desperate and for one fleeting moment sounds like his Craig.

Tweeks eyes fall open and fall onto the Craig phantom. Craig stares back at him all traces of love of affection, all indications that Tweek meant anything to him are gone. The other Craig smiles. Cold, dead, zombie like eyes stare at Tweek. The Craig thing licks his lips, " I spent the last two years pretending I loved you. Pretended I gave a dame all for this moment. Your pain is delicious but it WILL be so much sweeter" even its voice is all wrong.

"Your not my Craig," Tweek shouts in desperation.

" That's right Tweek, I am not yours, "laughter, " I never was."

Tweek drops to the ground trying to escape the Craig things words. The green monster are out in full force climbing from the pulsating colors of the bloated spider creatures hanging from the walls. The green monsters now resemble tiny devils. Pitch forks poking his skin tenderizing him for the main feast.  
Am I in hell? he wonders, he cant move, cant focus. As The images of Craig and Thomas come together before his eyes, their bodies entwine in a forbidden dance. Skin pressed against skin, lips meshed against lips, Craig's head tilted back as Thomas hands fall lower and lower, touching Craig in ways Tweek's only ever dreamed about.

Hands pull on Golden locks as the image in his mind traps him, pulling him further and further from the truth, and Tweek is falling ,falling , falling into madness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long for me to update I was having so much trouble with this chapter because I was trying to incorporate Craig and the other finding Tweek and it wasnt flowing right so I have moved that stuff to chapter 4(which is half written).
> 
> Thank you for your patience.
> 
> Also i hope this chapter didnt upset anyone and that I did a good enough job of portraying Tweek's further


	4. Something is getting in the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig fights desperately to bring Tweek back from the brink of madness.

Tweek is so far gone he doesnt even see the other students forming a semi circle around him. Concerned whispers grow quiet as Token, Clyde and Craig run into the hallway. Jimmy and Thomas trailing behind them.

Craig stops when he sees Tweek. His boyfriend sits in the middle of the hallway. He is slightly pitched forward, his blue eyes staring straight ahead wide with horror. His whole body is twitching seizing with chaotic energy.and his hands, his hands are clutching and pulling at his hair, already golden clumps are falling all around him. Desperate murmurs falling from his lips. 

"Tweek," Craig says the others name softly his own voice haunted and tinted with guilt. How could he let the other's anxiety get this bad? Why did he do this? Tweek is near catatonic, panic radiating off of him with every shallow gasp of air he takes and Craig isnt sure he can reach him this time. He has always pulled Tweek back from the edge of madness, always., but now...now he... maybe its to late.  
He rushes forward brushing past their classmates ignoring the looks of accusation, the murmed whispers that are spreading like wildfire. He doesn't give a fuck what the others think his sole directive, his only option is to reach Tweek and bring him back. 

He almost reaches the twitching blond when Cartman of all people step in front of his path. "Haven't you done enough?" The crowd murmurs in agreement feeding Cartman's already inflated ego.

"Move before I remove you."

Cartman shakes his head enjoying how all their classmates eyes are following his every move " you broke him and you want me to move," he shakes his head again and turns his gaze from Craig and onto his adoring fans. " No Craaaig I won't let you hur..."  
Craig's fist connecting with the side of Cartman face is enough to shut him up.

"MOVE for fucksakes," Craig spits the words out all to aware of the time he is wasting. Already Tweeks desperate cries have turned into murmurs of pain. 

Cartmans hero persona deflates instantly, large fat tears slide down his face as he clutches the left side of his jaw. " the fucker hit me," his shrill annoying voice causes the crowd to swell around him. "You poor poor boy, "a girls voice cooes.

Craig ignores them all and sits in front of Tweek. "Babe?"

Tweek stares at him but his gaze is vacant all semblance of awareness gone, it is clear that he is trapped deep within the confines of the darkest reaches of his mind. Craig stares at him blinking rapidly unsure of what to do but knowing breaking down himself won't do either one of them any good. He takes a deep breath, gaze never wavering from Tweek's face.  
He isn't even aware that the others have joined him until he hears Thomas voice. " what is wrong with him? What is going on," its obvious by the strain in the blonde's voice that he is trying desperately to fight against his natural ticks.

"Is T..Tweek go...going to be okay?" Jimmy concerned voice pleads from somewhere from Craig's left side. Beside him the tell tale sniffing from Clyde can be heard. Token's quiet murmurs the only thing keeping the crybaby at ease. 

Craig ignores his friends concentrating on Tweek. He continues to stare at him for a moment before he lifts his left hand, it shakes slightly as he places it on Tweek's face. His fingers instantly start caressing tiny little circles that ghost across Tweek's skin. Yet the blond does nothing but twitch. Craig frowns usually his touch is enough to pull his boyfriend back, but then again he usually doesn't let the other get stuck like this. 

He remembers the warnings the Tweaks have given him two and half years ago when Tweek and him had first started dating. How Richard Tweak had asked him if he was sure Craig wanted to get involved with someone as 'damaged ' as their son. The eleven and a half year old Craig had looked back and forth between Richard and his so called 'spazzy' son, had folded his trembling fingers around Tweek's equally twitching ones and then with his free hand Craig had flipped that asshole off. Richard had simply raised a eyebrow at that, and informed Craig that Tweek was now his responsibility.  
Then with a smile like a snake he had informed him just what that  
responsibility entitled, mostly making sure he was 'sane' enough to work.  
The reptile like grin on Richard's face had grown as he informed Craig just how fucked up his boyfriend really was. The diagnosis that Asshole had so casually thrown at him had made his heart ache. The casual way he had dismissed Tweek's mental state like it wasn't a big deal, like it was nothing but a nuisance that prevented him from working. The matter fact way he had said that paranoid anxiety disorder was no big deal, and not at all something that they Tweek's parents themselves had created. Oh and also Tweek had ADHD and general anxiety disorder, once again 'Mr Parent of the year ' didnt know where from, but it was no big deal and a panic attack wasn't a good enough reason for his eleven year old son to miss work. Then that smile again, cold as ice, that made Craig's blood boil. Craig had simply turned his back on them and left the house,pulling Tweek with him.

After that moment Craig made it his life's mission to watch over Tweek. Not to baby him but to give him the strength to grow, to stand on his own two feet, but he would be the rock Tweek could depend on if he needed it. Tweek had always had a tentative grip on reality, a fine line he carelessly clung to and Craig had took pride in being the one who always helped kept him tethered to this side., the one who kept him safe, the one who could always coax him back, but this time he hadn't ,he had let the fear over a old crush destroy this balance and now Tweek was... was..

Craig swallows back his self deprecation and guilt, allowing his usual sense of indifference to fall over him. He had to keep his cool to be logical about this. Tweek was the always on the brink of a emotional breakdown, it wasn't that he was weak or fragile it was just the fact that he still didn't quite have the proper coping strategies to help dispel his paranoia.  
The other few times this had happened, Craig had gotten Tweek to calm down, to work through his emotions, to see past his fear and anxiety. He had given Tweek the tools he needed to come to the logical conclusions on his own. So therefore there really wasn't a reason the same technique couldnt be applied here, right?  
But just what was Tweek upset about? He had shouted something about something trying to get him but what?. Think Tucker, Craig berates himself, logically there had to he a reason for all this! He suspects it had to do with Tweek sensing his attraction to Thomas but Tweek was not the jealous type and even if he had been jealous it would never had lead up to this, so no something else was the catalyst to this but what?

Craig bites his lip and the he allows his gaze to fall from Tweek for a moment and on his friends, Token won't look at him, Clyde has buried his face into Token's chest crying softly. Briefly he considers asking Thomas but he probably doesn't even remember who Tweek is let alone understands what is happening. His eyes finally land on Jimmy who stares back at him, a look of uncertainty on his usually smiling face. Jimmy is very observant and is very easygoing unlike Token who can be a little judgmental. 

" A little help here,"

Jimmy looks at him in confusion before Token breaks the silence, " you can't be serious!"

"How can I help him if I don't no what is going on," he states matter of factly. He can feel his irritation growing with every passing moment, his friends were usually smarter then this, but they were acting as clueless as the rest of the students.

The others just stare at him for a moment then Token's anger flares up, "maybe if you weren't ignoring him."

Craig resits the urge to flip Token off and sighs wearily, god it really was something being surrounded by idoits. 

Fear quicky replaces that anger, as Tweek shouts out, his fear and pain all to real even if he Is the only one trapped in his delusions.

" I was a bit preoccupied when he started freaking out," he admits. " Look be pissed at me all you want but If you know what's..."

"Isn't it obvious.." Kenny interjects, beside him Stan and Kyle nod in agreement.

Craig's brows furl in anger as he glares in Kenny's direction. Fucking McCormick and his so called gang always butting into stuff that don't concern them.

" If it was obvious I wouldnt be fucking asking, would I?" Craig's already stretched thin patience is fading. 

Kyle is looking at him funny, eyes darting between him, Thomas and Tweek. He runs a hand through his curly red hair. Stan is currently wearing Kyle's hat, Craig usually wouldn't care or notice, but now that he thinks about it, the two have been acting closer then normal. He blinks and then dismisses that thought, now is not the time to wonder about his rivals love life. 

Kyle's annoying know it all voice pulls Craig from his musings.

"You know if I would have known you were cheating on Tweek with Thomas I would have never have brought Thomas to your table." Mr goody two shoes says in disapproval.

" What. COCKSUCKER... THE FUCK are you talking about?" 

Cartman suddenly appears to Craig's left sitting beside Thomas who is staring at Craig and Tweek shock and some other unreadable emotion radiating off of him.

" You didn't know did you?" Cartman shakes his head shooting Craig disgusted looks.

Thomas shakes his head, " Craig is just a friend nothing more nothing less.," He looks back and forth between Craig and Tweek.

Craig ignores them all he has never nor would he ever betray Tweek like that and the only one who he owed a explation to was Tweek. Unconsciously he shifts closer to his boyfriend, Tweek's entire body is vibrating, the blonde's eyes are closed tightly, he is whimpering again, small semi coherent sounds escape him that make little sense to Craig. Craig bites down on his bottom lip, shaking slightly before he puts his arms around Tweek and pulls his body closer. "Honey, open your eyes."

Tweek goes completely limp in his arms and then opens his eyes. He blinks slowly before looking up at the boy whose body is pressed up against his own.  
"Craig?" His voice is low and raspy like he hasnt spoken for days, like he has just awoken from a nightmare fueled coma.

Craig usual stoic nature dissipates at the sound of Tweek's voice. He pulls the other closer, burying his face into the crook of Tweek's neck, so his words come out muffled. " I am here honey."

Tweek sighs and sinks further into Craig's embrace, and for a moment all of it seems as if it was nothing but a bad dream. That his panicked imagination had run away from itself, that the moment in the Cafeteria was nothing more but a fading memory. The hallucinations afterwards nothing but fevered dreams brought to life by his own unspoken fears. These truths of course are washed away mere moments later.

Thomas wanting to make things right, wanting to make it clear to everyone that he isnt a homewrecker, but especially Tweek, pushes Cartman away from him and stands. He looks over at the couple for a moment unsure how to address the situation he clears his throat and says a single word, " Craig?"

Tweek is dragged back into the hell of Craig's (non existent) infidelity by the sound of Thomas voice. His eyes widen and he shrieks, " you're not my Craig," reality blending with the imaginary as he pushes Craig away from him and jumps to his feet. "Not mine, not mine, not mine."  
He is no longer caught in the paranoid dreamlike state he was earlier, he is grounded in reality, he sees things how they are, but his perceptions are twisted, tainted by all to real monster known as jealousy.

Craig pulls himself to his feet, he takes a careful step towards Tweek, hands out in front of him in a defenseless matter. " Tweek, honey, you're having another panic attack, you need to calm down...."

"Or maybe he doesn't want to listen to your bullshit anymore," Kenny interjects.

Craig spins around and shoots Kenny a annoyed look. "Will you mind your own fucking business McCormick!" 

Kenny steps forward and wraps his arm around Tweek's shoulder leering over at Craig, the very definition of smugness. " you can't trust him, Tweek. He cheated on you and he will do it again."

Tweek is nodding along to Kenny's words allowing the other blonde's nonsense to futher fuel his own misconceptions. "Y-your right,"

"No, it's not true, honey, I would never..."

Tweek turns away from Kenny and looks at Craig, his skin is pallid and shines with a feverish like sweat. He shakes slightly and refuses to meet Craig's eyes. He allows the coldness seeping through his body to over take him. He allows the nightmarish phantasms made real by jealousy to further twist his reality. Gone is the safety warmth of Craig's embrace in its place lays the pain of betrayal. Malice falls over him, it coats everything,The fear is replaced with anger, sweet and bitter. The fine line between love and hate comes undone. Suddenly the green eyed monsters don't seem scary anymore, no now they make sense. He turns from Craig and walks away following Kenny and the other students out of the hallway; and all Craig can do is stand there and watch as Tweek is pulled further and further away from him.

To be continued...


	5. You’re not sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny stands in the shadows just outside of the crowd of students watching the whole delicious drama unfold from the sidelines....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ambercreek95 for editing this chapter, your suggestions really helped, and I appreciate all your hard work.

Kenny stands in the shadows just outside of the crowd of students watching the whole delicious drama unfold from the sidelines. His eyes shift slightly from the relationship unravelling in front of the entire school, and over to the ‘super best friends’. The smirk that has been ever present on his lips the moment Tweek ran from the cafeteria fades. Annoyance crumbles across his visage as Kyle leans his head against Stan’s shoulder. Stan is staring at Tweek with an unhappy expression on his face. He shakes his head as he whispers something to Kyle, who for his part is glaring at Craig, as the stoic boy wraps his arms around the trembling blond. Kyle’s eyes grow colder as he stares at them and then after a moment he whispers something back too Stan.

Kenny’s attention is pulled forward again to the lovers putting on the show in the centre of the hall. Just as it looks as if Tweek may be swayed by Craig’s lame excuses, Thomas steps forward. He looks down at the couple sitting on the floor wrapped up in each other.  
Oh, this is going to be good Kenny muses as he rubs his hands together. His eyes darken as he watch Tweek turns his gaze onto the other blond. Tweek’s entire body radiates hatred as he stares Thomas down, and then his gaze falls from Thomas and back onto Craig. A flurry of emotions dance in Tweek’s eyes; anger, fear, confusion and even love before they dance frantically around the hallway. As they meet Kenny’s gaze, the anger and fear slowly simmering turns back to hurt. For a moment, just a split second, Kenny almost feels guilty for his part in this whole mess. After all, it was Kenny who has spent the last few weeks planting doubts in Tweek’s head. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Tweek, or wanted to see him suffer. No, it was quite the opposite actually. Kenny adores Tweek. It’s Craig he dislikes and has never really liked. In fact, as far as Kenny is concerned, Craig Tucker will never be good enough for his friend. The fact that his worse suspicions about Craig’s character have just been proven are icing on the cake, and thus he feels justified in his meddling. That is what he tells himself anyway, as he slowly pushes his way forward through the crowd.

“Craig?” Thomas’s quiet voice rings through the hallway causing the other kids to move forward slightly eager for the possible violence this interaction may bring. The hallway comes alive with whispers and jeers, angry shouts, all of which are directed towards Craig. The air continues to grow thick with apprehension. A tense energy that seems to settle around Tweek whose entire body has gone rigid at the sound of Thomas’s voice. As Thomas moves slowly towards him, Tweek is pulled back into the lies made real by his own tormented mind. He pulls away from Craig slipping from the safety of the others arms and climbs to his feet. He stands above the other, staring down at Craig. The stoic boy is still sitting on the floor staring back at him with an unreadable expression. He looks just like the real Craig. This is no gnome impostor or green mist monster masquerading as Craig, and yet he isn’t Craig. The hard reality of the situation is that he was never was and never will be the Craig Tweek knows and loves because that Craig doesn’t exist.

“You’re not my Craig,” he says bitterly as he turns from the other. He takes a deep breath, willing himself to stay in control of his emotions. He will not give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. Craig will not be feasting on his pain tonight.

“Tweek, wait,” Craig pulls himself to his feet. He takes a careful step towards Tweek, hands out in front of him in a defenceless manner. “Tweek, honey, you’re having another panic attack, you need to calm down.”

For a moment, like so many times before, Tweek almost believes him he almost turns around and allows himself to be swept away into the other’s sweet lies.

From his position just off to the side (nearly at the front) of the crowd, Kenny’s voice penetrates through the dark magic that Craig always seems to cast, “Maybe he doesn’t want to listen to your bullshit anymore, Tucker.” 

Kenny’s voice is like a beacon of truth pulling Tweek back into the light. Tweek finds himself nodding along with Kenny’s words. After all, Kenny has no reason to deceive him, no reason to lead him astray, no reason to drive a wedge between Craig and himself. Unbidden, an image swirls just beyond the confines of Tweek’s memory, an imprint if you will. A simple phantasm, almost like a faded photograph. Its image half warped and barely recognizable. The memory of an unwanted, almost kiss. Tweek shakes his head dissolving the mystery reflection. Whatever that thought is, it isn’t important. It holds no bearing on the current events unfolding which he unfortunately has a starring role in.Tweek looks up at Kenny his aqua eyes shining with something akin to admiration. “Y...you’re right.”

Craig rushes forward, “No, Tweek, it’s not true! Honey, I would never...” He reaches out and places a single hand on Tweek’s shoulders, Tweek pushes him away.“Don’t touch me,” Tweek’s voice shakes as he forces the words out, “you don’t get to touch me anymore.” He turns from Craig and takes a step in the opposite direction. In the direction that Kenny and their other classmates seem to be waiting. They all seem to be staring, and the power of their combined eyes watching momentarily stops Tweek. 

“Gah!” his vocalization is automatic as he slowly backs away from the crowd, and back towards Craig and Thomas.

Craig stares at Tweek, a thousand regrets flashing in his darkening eyes as his boyfriend rushes forward then stops mid step. The other students are crowding in, surrounding them like the rabid vultures that they are and it appears as if their presence has finally gotten too Tweek. Normally Craig would flip them all off for being so heartless and scaring Tweek, but he isn’t a fool. He knows that this maybe his only chance to make something right so hating himself even more then already does, he takes another step forward hands clenched into fists at his sides shake slightly. He raises his voice, not caring if the others are listening to every word. The only one, the only person on his radar is Tweek. 

“Honey, look I am sorry...”

“Sorry!?” Tweek spins around until he is standing face to face with Craig. Suddenly, his fear and paranoias about being judged by their peers is forgotten. No, now Craig has his full wrath. “You’re sorry?!” He spits the words out like they are venom. Like the very idea of Craig being sorry is the most ridiculous thing he has ever heard.

Craig nods, his lips curve up slightly at the corners of his mouth offering Tweek a slight shy smile, “That’s right. Honey, I am sorry. I…”

Tweek’s eyes harden, “I don’t believe you,” He shouts. He takes another deep breath and then steps forward until he is close enough to touch Craig, “Sorry, no, I don’t think that you are,” He points a trembling finger at Craig, “You’re not sorry!” And then he is pushing the other backwards, staring at him with palpable rage. He turns his gaze onto Thomas, “and you!” Tweek’s running on fumes now, “You...” He shakes his head, “You’re not even worth my time.” He turns from them again, hanging his head so he won’t have to see the other student’s judgemental glares as he walks away from everything he once held dear.

Kenny watches this all unfold with bated breath, patiently waiting for the perfect moment too strike. As Tweek pushes Craig away from him and he turns his rage onto Thomas, Kenny slithers forward, pushing past the few students impeding his way. He approaches Tweek and Craig from behind, circling them much like a great white shark circles its prey right before the ambush. He has timed this right, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Tweek suddenly growing a back bone is just what he needed. The final nail in the coffin that is known as Creek. A smirk replaces his usual flirtatious smile, as he comes in between them casually making sure Craig is aware of him, as he grabs Tweek’s hand and gently pulls on it.

Craig growls, a deep sound that resonates at the very pit of his being. Something akin to anger but much stronger flashes in his eyes as he stares at Kenny. The threat of violence growing more concrete with every passing second. “This doesn’t concern you, McCormic.” The words fall from between lips pulled back in a snare, as Craig steps into Kenny’s personal space.

Kenny meets the intensity of Craig’s gaze, silently accepting his challenge. He isn’t one to back down, especially when his friends are concerned. “I think Tweek’s already made it quite clear,” He licks his lips and then flashes his nemesis a sultry smile, “that it’s over.” He waves his hands at Craig in a dismissive fashion before turning his attention back to Tweek. The tone of his voice all sugary and sweet, “Tweek, let’s go.”

Just as Craig takes another step forward, boiling with violent intent, Tweek lets go of Kenny’s hand and steps in between them, “Craig, I... I... I never want to see you again,” and then with that, he reaches for Kenny’s hand dragging the dirty blonde with him in a desperate bid to get away. With that, the rest of the crowding students trail after them leaving Craig utterly alone.

Craig starts to go after them but Thomas’s voice stops him, “Craig, we really need to talk.”

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is kind of a rehash of the last, but i wanted to explore Kenny’s POV in this and give more development as to why Craig had such issues with Kenny. I hope you enjoy it! This story is wrapping down... but there are still a lot more stories in this universe. 
> 
> The rest of this story will have Song titles as Chapter titles because i am lame like that lol
> 
> Now for the exciting news..
> 
> The next Few Chapters of this are actually written and being sent away to be edited so there’s will be more frequent updates.


	6. The truth is revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig has a conversation with Thomas about Tweek, and Thomas makes a shocking confession of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks goes to Ambercreek95 for once again editing this monster.. pun intended.
> 
> So i am not that pleased with this chapter but feel it was necessary. I am almost done chapters 7 and 8 and half way through 9. So there will be a update again within the next few weeks.

All Craig can do is watch as Tweek walks further and further away from him. The anger that is simmering just below the surface dissolves as a hopeless feeling wraps itself around Craig’s heart. The further Tweek gets from him, the more real their separation feels. Kenny McCormick has a role to play in this entire mess. In the guise of helping, Craig has no doubt, and when this is all over Craig is going to have to have a serious conversation with Tweek about Kenny. There is little doubt in his mind that Kenny's intentions towards his boyfriend are far from pure. He doesn't blame Tweek, not in his current mental state. The other wouldn't be able to decipher just what Kenny is up too.

If Craig is honest with himself, he is also to blame, not only did he fail to see that Tweek is jealous but he also gave him reasons (albeit innocent ones) to be jealous. When they give out boyfriend awards, Craig's surely would be 'worse boyfriend in the universe.'

Wordlessly, Token, Clyde and Jimmy turn their backs on him, not even bothering to express their disappointment, and then one by one the rest of their classmates follow them until Craig is alone. Utterly and completely alone. That is what he tells himself pouting as his friends and love get further and further away from him.

Ironically, he is reminded of their fake breakup in elementary school before they were dating when Tweek invented a “Michael”, making Craig look like a manipulative cheating piece of shit. The confusion he had felt after that had only been compounded by his father's happiness at the couples 'break up'. He had wondered over and over again as he stared at his uneaten dinner that night if the reason he was so angry was really because their whole school hated him, or because he felt as if he lost Tweek because of pseudo infidelities he did not commit.

Now as he stares at the empty hallway stretched out in front of him, Craig realizes it had been the lack of Tweek in his life, and the possibility of the destruction of a friendship (and now relationship) that meant the world too him. Once again that hopeless dejected feeling he felt at the unwarranted accusations of infidelity fill him with a cold reality. He could actually lose Tweek because of this.

The fact that Kenny McCormick has been waiting like the snake he is the entire time, leaves Craig with a bitter undisclosed feeling which is currently coiling through him, making his guts twist, and his hands shake. Is this what it’s like to feel jealously? As if his mind wants to hammer in this point, and to once again point out just what he has lost. A certain memory swirls before him. He vividly remembers a moment he had walked into a few weeks back, the same day he and his Dad had that awful talk.

Kenny had been leaning over Tweek, eyes closed and lips puckered, ready to claim lips that did not, nor will ever, belong to him. Craig hadn’t wanted to think about what could have happened if he hadn’t come into Tweek Bro’s at that very moment, but now those possibilities are running wildly through his mind, tormenting him. After all Tweek had said it himself. He doesn’t want to see him again.

It’s so obvious now, so glaringly fucking obvious, that Kenny has always wanted to take Craig's place and Craig wouldn't have anyone else to blame for it but himself. He walked right into Kenny’s trap. He took Tweek for granted and now everything has soured. The carefully constructed kingdom he had built with Tweek has turned to dirt.

He may not have cheated on Tweek (he would never cheat on Tweek), but in this moment, he has never felt more like his father. A hopeless, washed-up, pathetic man who allowed his own doubts and betrayals to ruin everything, and why? All because he couldn't deal with the thought of a kid he hasn’t seen in two years possibly hating him because he is gay. Logically, his fears about being judged and possibility hated by Thomas are so beyond stupid and unnecessary. Who gives a fuck if he hates him? So what? If someone honestly hated him for loving Tweek then they are not worthy of his friendship to begin with.

So why? Why did he reject Tweek in his moment of need? Why did he feel the need to hide Tweek? None of it makes sense. It’s not like he is still interested in Thomas. Sure, the other is ridiculously handsome and yeah, he was his first crush all those years ago, but so fucking what?!  
So, is it Tweek then? Is Craig ashamed of him? No, definitely not. Craig shakes his head as this very thought enters his mind. He would climb to the schools roof top and scream at the top of his lungs how much he adores Tweek and how much he loves him. If only such an action would get him back. No, he is not ashamed of his boyfriend, if he can even still call Tweek that. The concept of being ashamed of the other or wanting to hide or deny his relationship with Tweek is so foreign. Then what? What is he really hiding from?

A clearing of a throat and his name being said softly pulls Craig from his musings.

He spins around, tearing his eyes away from the corridor Tweek has just disappeared down,to face a confused looking Thomas.  
"Craig, we really need to talk."

Fuck, he had forgotten Thomas was still there. He is tempted to dismiss the other, to just walk off, but he might as well get this over with. Plus, with no one else around, this particular conversation won’t be taken wrong, right?

"What?" Craig says with an impatient sigh, an air of indifference, and an attitude of ‘let’s get this over with so I can go mope in the corner because my boyfriend is pissed at me and the entire school hates me’.

Thomas studies him for moment trying to discern just what is up with his friend, "can you tell me what FUCK is going on ?” he rubs at his eyes, " I haven't seen you or anyone one in two years SHITBALLS FUCK ," he stops talking momentarily trying to calm himself, trying to stop his natural ticks from taking over," and now...Fuck dude the whole school hates me." A weary sigh, " so I think you owe me a explanation"

Craig just shakes his head and drops his gaze to the ground. “I fucked up, okay? What else do you want me to say?"  
Thomas frowns, " I appreciate the apology but I am not FUCK the one you should be apologizing too."

Craig's gaze hardens. This is the last thing he wants to deal with. "Look, I realize I am not going to win boyfriend of the year, but I don't need the peanut gallery fucking imprinting their two cents onto my life, so fuck off."

"You owe me an explanation! Not only did you probably just ruin any chance I have at being friends with Tweek now, but the whole school probably sees me as a home wrecker. How am I going to get any chicks now?"

Is he for fucking real? Who gives a fuck if Tweek doesn't want to be Thomas’s friend? The fact that Tweek never want to speak to Craig again is kind of more important.

"I don't owe you anything," the words are spit out as he raises his gazes from the floor and glares at Thomas, "so save your pity party–"

"Do you even hear yourself speak right now?" Thomas shakes his head, "I am not judging you. I just want an explanation. We’re friends aren't we?"

The question startles Craig and brings him back to how this whole mess started. He had fucked up, let whatever was really bothering him twist things and convince him this one boy’s friendship was more important than who he is. Craig shrugs and then offers Thomas a sheepish look, "I was worried you wouldn't want to be my friend..."

Thomas raises an eyebrow at that. "Why wouldn't I want to be your friend? If my family hadn't moved, we would probably be even better friends then we are now, so what possibly could have changed that?

“Because of Tweek and.... I…” he waves his hands In front of his body in dismissal.

"Craig, why would I care if you finally got together with Tweek or not?"

Wait what? FINALLY?! But that would imply Thomas knew he was gay back then, back before he moved, back before the Asian girls and the photos, back before Craig even knew himself. 

"You... knew? Uh that I was, I mean, that I am gay?"

Thomas laughs softly, "dude you FUCK asked to do my laundry...? Come on… how much more gayer can you get..."

Well, he did have a point there.

"Besides,” Thomas continues, "you would never shut up about Tweek. He was all you would talk about..." Thomas shrugs his shoulders, "it wasn’t hard to see you had a thing for him even when you were flirting with me... "

Craig just stares at him, “You knew...? And I... oh fuck.”

Thomas nudges the others shoulder, “I think if you just give him a few days, maybe he will cool down and then we can explain things to him.” An awkward pause follows, almost as if Thomas isn’t sure he should broach the next subject. “Maybe if I was involved with someone else and it got back to Tweek, that would help?”

Craig frowns slightly, “I don’t see how that would help me get my boyfriend back.”

A sigh, “it would be kind of hard for me to be hooking up with you if I am with someone else.” Thomas coughs, and then the tops of his ears turn a violent crimson, “It’s something to consider... just an idea... I mean... I... I FUCK I mean there is this girl. I kind of have my eyes on.” He clears his throat, his voice suddenly twisting with nerves. “I mean Red’s your cousin right.”

Craig gives him a funny look. Is Thomas asking him to hook him up with his cousin?

“I don’t know. I don’t like the idea of using Red like that. She’s been hurt enough by guys, And I don’t totally hate her... so....”

But wouldn’t he do anything to get Tweek back?

“So she’s single then?”

“Are you fucking serious?”

Thomas nods, his entire face now bright red. He also twists his entire body away from Craig. “I like her fiery spirt.”

Fiery is the last word Craig would use for Red, but whatever. As long as Thomas’s intentions aren’t totally fucked up.

“So Red...”

Thomas just nods, a dumb love struck expression mares his handsome face. “She’s totally my type,” he admits, swooning slightly in place as he continues to talk, “Fiery, red haired, and she’s got a nice rack and she’s super cool as well.”

Craig gives him a disgusted look, “One, she’s my cousin so ewww, and two, she’s a girl so... gross.”

Thomas laughs, “well I like girls so...”

“So you’re straight?”

Thomas shrugs almost apologetically, “yup, but even if I was bi or something, you’re totally not my type at all,” a smug grin falls across his face, “Tweek probably would be though.”

Craig shoots him an annoyed look, “not funny dude.”

“So do you think you could, you know, talk to your cousin?”

“I guess.”

“Thanks. So it’s a plan.”

“Plan?”

“To get me a girlfriend and get you your lover boy back.”

“Girlfriend?” Craig asks with an arched eyebrow.

Thomas just nods.

Well at least he knows now that Thomas’s intentions are not too twisted. Shaking his head slightly, Craig pulls his phone out of his pocket and quickly dials his cousin’s number before he can change his mind.

The phone rings three times before Red answers, “What do you want, asshole?”

Red is charming as usual. At least she didn’t ignore her phone so either she hasn’t heard what happened yet or, knowing Red, she doesn’t care.

Craig sighs, “Do you remember my friend, Thomas?”

“You mean the guy you’re fucking behind Tweek’s back, yeah what about him?”

Oh fuck, she must have heard the rumours. This may be harder then he thought. Craig bites his bottom lip, deep in thought as he assesses just how to continue. “I would never cheat on Tweek,” He knows he sounds defensive, and guilty but it is the truth, and he just hopes she can hear that.

“I mean, I don’t blame you. That boy’s a tasty snack, but you know that Tweek is a sweetheart and he actually deserves better than this, so you’re a fucking ass wipe.”

“Rebecca, it’s not like that, Thomas isn’t even gay... ”

Silence on the other end so much so that Craig thinks for a moment that she has hung up on him, and then her soft voice, “meaning?”

“He likes girls. Well, he likes you specifically, so...”

Beside him Thomas makes a horrified screech like sound. Craig just ignores him and continues to butter his cousin up. “He says he likes your hair cause it’s like fire or embers or sunsets or some kind of straight ass gross stuff like that. “

Red’s voice sounds slightly funny like she’s trying very hard not to show just how interested she is in this particular conversation, “and you and him?”

Craig shakes his head even though she can’t see him, “No, never. He’s not gay, and I would never cheat on Tweek.”

“He could be Bi,” she says a little defensive, “and like I said, he’s hot so I mean I could see the appeal is all.”

“He’s not Tweek,” Craig says once more, his voice shaking with emotion, “I...” annoyance falls across his face, and after all he hates admitting any type of emotion. “I don’t want anyone else but Tweek.”

“I see.”

Craig stares at his phone, “you see.”

“It would be awfully convenient if your ex-boyfriend was to learn that the guy he thinks you left him for ends up to be straight and hooks up with your cousin. “

“It would be the truth,” Craig says simply, “and Tweek’s not my ex.”

She laughs a cruel and unjust sound, stirring that one last remaining doubt. “If a guy tells you they never want to see you again that usually means it’s over.”

“Well it’s not,” He knows it’s silly to be arguing with her. It’s not her fault, none of this is and he is technically asking her for a favour, not that she sounds too torn up about it, but still, he should be on his best behaviour. Red is a girl and girls are weird, he can’t fathom why anyone would want to actually date one.

“I am not giving up.”

She’s quiet again, but the tap, tap, tapping of her fingernails against the base of the phone lets him know she hasn’t hung up. “Do you swear on Pirate Stripe’s grave that you never cheated?”

Red only brings up the first Stripe if she means it, as she knows it’s still a raw wound for Craig that doesn’t seem to want to heal. No matter how many years it’s been since the original Stripe passed and no matter how many Stripes he gets, none of them quite measure up to the original.

“Yes, now will you help me?”

Thomas, who’s standing a little too close for Craig’s liking (especially considering the rumours circulating around the school), is practically vibrating on the spot as he listens to Craig’s side of the conversation.

“Okay, I’ll go out on a date with your pseudo lover boy.”

Craig frowns, and then responds in a gruff no nonsense voice, “You better not mean Tweek.”

Red laughs, “and just how would I date a gay boy? Besides, you got enough competition with McCormick.”

“Don’t fucking start with that parasite”

“I am serious Craig. If you want him back, you have to fix this and soon before McCormick slides in there. It is how he operates after all...” she’s quiet for a moment, “I know this from previous experience.”

Fucking McCormick. Not only is he probably planning to put the moves on Tweek, but he fucked around with Red when she was vulnerable. “Remind me to fucking kick his ass sometime.”

She laughs, “give lover boy my number and we can discuss things more privately. Meanwhile I’ll start a rumour about making out with him in the broom closet or something.”

Craig cringes at the mental image, “Thanks Red, I owe you one.”

“I know,” she says sweetly, and then then the phone goes dead.

Craig turns to Thomas, “So, um, apparently you were too busy hooking up with Red in the broom closet to be involved with me.”

Thomas beams at him, “Fucking Nice,” he coughs slightly, “so do you think I could probably maybe hook up with her in real life.”

“That’s disgusting, but yeah. She says call her and you can discuss things privately.“ Craig says as he texts Red’s number to Thomas.

The minute Thomas receives the text, he turns away from Craig waves once and dials Red’s number as he starts to walk away.

Craig shakes his head watching as Thomas goes. If only it was that easy to get Tweek to talk to him. This little plan of theirs better work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just ail little note on Kenny and his bisexuality. It urks me when bi people are seen as predatory people only out to break hearts. Wait but why are you writing Kenny like that. I am not... Just Remember just whose POV this chapter is in too know Kenny's true motivations are not what Craig seems to think.. Although he is a flirt he is not after Tweek like Craig seems to think. Kenny is actually very protective of Tweek and a good friend (a beit a bit flirty). Craig is just suffering from his own green eyed monster.
> 
> The stuff with Red and Kenny will be explored later either in this story or in a future story as it is a subplot. Let's just say Kenny's also not as bad as Red makes him out to be.
> 
> Lastly I think Thomas and Red would be adorable together and although they would technically be total crack I think I ship it.


	7. Rumours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumors of Craig’s so called infidelities have spread through out the entire school causing Red to try and do damage control for her cousin, but Kenny and Cartman are making it very hard for Tweek to accept Craig’s innocence. Meanwhile Tweek is surrounded by strange almost paranormal like activity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can not thank Ambercreek95 enough for her help in this and all my stories, thank you again!

Kenny, being the good friend that he is, kept Tweek safe from all the other students who were quite frankly treating him as if he is a character in their favourite TV drama. Kenny has his arms snug around Tweek’s shoulders while leading him towards his next class, shooting anyone who dares to interfere nasty looks and even blocking access to the blond from his other friends. Jimmy and Clyde, who share the same class with Tweek, follow behind the two with uneasy expressions on their faces. 

On one hand, Kenny’s protectiveness of Tweek is rather sweet but also a little suspect. Everyone knows how Kenny and Craig often come to odds, and so the whispers of Kenny perhaps having an ulterior motive have already started to spread.

Tweek himself isn’t quite sure what to think. The rawness of Craig’s betrayal hasn’t quite left him, and yet there are doubts and tiny whispers pleading Craig’s case. Craig loves him, Craig would never betray him, but then another whisper, a voice that sounds like Kenny, asks that if Craig really does love Tweek, then why hasn’t he ever told him? Why hasn’t he kissed Tweek? Why did Craig move away from him a few weeks ago when Tweek himself tried to kiss him? Tweek feels nothing but gratitude towards Kenny as he is pushed and pulled into his next class, a class Kenny isn’t even in. 

This knowledge worries Tweek selfishly. He doesn’t want Kenny to leave. Right now, Kenny is his best friend, never mind the fact that Craig once held that title. At this moment, it is Kenny. Tweek want’s Kenny to stay but he also doesn’t want his friend to get into trouble and so reluctantly, he takes a deep breath and steps away from the protective barrier of Kenny’s arms.

In response, Kenny pouts and opens his arms wider indicating that he wants Tweek to return to him. Tweek shakes his head, “ngh, I.. I can go to class alone. You should go to your class, I’ll meet you in English.”

Kenny shakes his head, skips forward and grabs onto Tweek’s hand. “ I am not leaving your side Tweekers,” He smiles his wide trademark Kenny grin, and then pulls his friend forward and into the classroom.

The minute the two boys walk into the classroom, the students who were all just talking a few moments ago fall silent. The boys find their seats with Clyde and Jimmy still trailing behind them. The girls start whispering excitedly to each other again, retelling the story about Tweek finding out about Thomas and Craig. Each time they retell it, the story gets wilder and wilder. The current rumour has Tweek catching the two red handed in various states of undress in the middle of the Cafeteria.

Tweek finds his seat, slumping down at his desk and resting his head in between his hands which are situated on the table. He is slowly counting under his breath,“one, two, three, four, five.” He repeats these numbers over and over again, his words becoming more and disheveled. 

Red is sitting at the back of the room. She watches as the gossiping girls delight in the pain their words are causing Tweek. The more the rumours spread and the louder their voices get, the more Tweek seems to deflate into himself. She sighs loudly making sure to attract everyone’s attention and then she slowly climbs to her feet. She clears her throat for good measure, and then proclaims in a loud voice “You all have it wrong.”

The other girls turn around in their seats so fast to look at Red, she is sure they just gave themselves whiplash. She flashes them a grim smile, and then just for the fun of it, raises her right hand and flips the bitches off. A shocked gasp fills the room causing Red to roll her eyes. She is a Tucker after all. Why would the other girls be surprised that she would partake in the beloved Tucker family tradition? She turns her attention onto Tweek and her ex-fling who is hanging off of the boy like a parasitic leech. Her smile fades as her eyes fall onto Kenny. 

She approaches Tweek making sure to put as much distance between herself and Kenny as possible. 

“Craig may be an asshole, and you really are too good for him, but what everyone is saying is not true. Craig never cheated on you.” She pauses a sour expression falling across her pretty face as she looks at Kenny. “not like someone else I know” she says as she flips her short red hair back behind her ears.

Kenny makes a face at her, "it's kind of hard to cheat when we were never together." He gives her a pointed look and then turns his attention back to Tweek his expression softening. “And like we are going to believe anything you have to say, Craig probably put you up to this.”

Red is silent for a moment glaring in the flirty blonde’s direction. "Kenny's the one who can't be trusted here” she quips.

“Sure, cause you’re opinion is so unbiased you have no reason at all to lie.”

“I don’t actually but you do, don’t you? After all, waiting until someone is at their lowest, that is when people like you strike,” Red’s face is scrunched up with disgust as she stares Kenny down. “Isn’t that how you operate Kenny? waiting until a girl,” she points to herself, “or in Tweek’s case, a boy,” she points at Tweek, “is hurting and then you swoop in like the bloody vulture you are.”

The incessant chattering of the other girls in the class has completely stopped at this exchange.

Kenny’s nostrils flare with anger as he jumps to his feet and takes a step in Red’s direction, causing Red to smirk as she takes a step towards him closing the gap in between them. As Kenny and Red continue to verbally abuse one of another, Tweek lifts his head from the table watching them with a somber expression. He bites his bottom lip, trying to keep himself somewhat calm. He is shaking badly, his whole body twitching uncontrollably. “Gah!” he isn’t even aware of the vocal tic. A few students turn their gaze away from the two arguing teens and onto him, but otherwise most of the students are ignoring Tweek.

“Hey Tweakers?” the sound of Clyde’s voice so close to his ear causes Tweek to jump up in his seat and scream. Clyde shrugs and offers Tweek a sheepish grin, “Sorry Tweeky, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His smile is replaced with a frown, “are you doing okay?”

Tweek’s eyes fall away from his friend's face and onto the wooden surface of his desk. The pale brown wooden grains of the table’s surface are lined with multiple scratches and grooves from many years of student abuse. Without realizing it, Tweek reaches out and traces his left index finger over a small heart carved into the woods porous surface. The lines and curves of the engraving causes Tweek’s heart rate to accelerate as the memory of this particular carving floods his memory. The pads of his finger search for the initials entrapped in the middle of the heart.

It had been about two years ago, just before they had started dating. Both Craig and Tweek had this class as their home room. Craig had been acting strange that day. Tweek originally thought it had to do with them starting middle school, but as he absentmindedly scraped lines into his desk, he couldn’t help but wonder if something else was going on with his best friend. 

Craig had then turned to him, his dark green eyes blinking slowly as his gaze hovered between Tweek’s face and just what Tweek was scratching into the wooden surface of their shared table.

“What?” Tweek had asked, returning Craig’s uneasy gaze. 

The raven haired boy hadn’t spoken a word. He had just reached over and taken the broken pen Tweek had been using to deface the table out of his hand. Craig had then carefully placed the pen on the table between them making sure his moments were slow so the contraption wouldn’t roll away. Then a look of total shock fell across his face as he reached over and placed his own hand on top of Tweek’s. It’s almost as if he had no control over his own body. Tweek had stared up at him, wide eyed and shaking slightly, all too aware of the fact that things were changing between them. The two boys continued to stare at each other for a few moments before, unable to take the anxious energy swirling around them, Tweek had stuck his tongue out at the other, breaking whatever spell had been cast.

Craig had then quickly removed his hand, shrugged like it was no big deal and then started whispering to Tweek about their weekend plans. 

Both boys were so wrapped up in trying to pretend nothing had just happened between them that didn’t see the eager gaze of the new Asian girl who had just transferred to their middle school studying them.

The next day, when they returned to class, their initials had been etched inside the heart Tweek had drawn but before either one of them could react to that knowledge, the class was ushered into the gymnasium for a special presentation on Asian culture and the entire town, as a result, had been thrust into the world of Yaoi.

The memory fades as Tweek’s fingers find purchase against those carved letters... C + T. His finger pads ghost across them. Drops of crystallized water fall onto the top of the C in the middle of the heart. The moment the tears land, they shatter into a million tiny fragments causing the sadness that was washing over Tweek to fade with the lingering remains of the memory. Tweek stares down at the icy particles in confusion. His misery and heartache surrounding his uncertain relationship with Craig is momentarily forgotten as he ponders the icicles existence. 

Clyde is chatting happily with a pretty blond girl sitting right behind them and is totally unaware of the paranormal activity happening right beside him. A particular nasty gust of wind ruffles across his head, and he shivers slightly wondering who opened the window. He is about to turn to Tweek to make sure his friend is doing okay, but then the girl pushes a piece of paper towards him, he flashes her what he thinks is a million dollar smile as he reaches out and takes the paper with the girl’s name and phone number scribbled across it.

Jimmy, who had walked into the room with Clyde, has not taken his seat on the other side of Tweek yet as he had gotten trapped in between Red and Kenny, quite literally. Although Jimmy can move quite fast with his crutches, he can sense the tense and weirdly cold (as in the actual drop of temperature) change in the room's atmosphere which causes him to stop mid step and look around the room in confusion. 

His eyes fall momentarily on Tweek who is wiping at his eyes, brushing away tears with the swipe of his fingers, only to then hold his hands up and stare at them in puzzlement. Tweek’s loud gasp, a hollow terrified sound, momentarily pull the room occupants' attention off of Red and Kenny who are currently circling each other like a pair of duelling lions, and onto Tweek.

“Gah, W..what is going on?”

Tweek’s question is left unanswered as Red’s angry voice pulls Jimmy’s (and the rest of their classmates) attention back. She steps forward again brushing past Jimmy as she does so.   
In response Kenny, who was already standing quite close to Jimmy, moves even closer.  
The two teens standing around him are jostling back and forth when Red ‘accidentally’ stumbles into Jimmy causing him to drop one of his crutches.

“Whoa c...calm down...” Jimmy interjects as he somehow balances on one crutch and bends down to retrieve the fallen one. Once he has both his crutches, he is able to fully stand, whining a bit as the leg he had shifted most of his weight on to spasms in protest. Ignoring the pain, Jimmy turns his gaze back onto Kenny and Red. “ Reb..Rebe...Red said she had some more in...info...information. Lets hear her out.” 

“Yes, let's listen to another one of Craig’s group,” Kenny’s voice drips with sarcasm, “It’s not like he’s going to have ulterior motives or anything.”

“The only one with,” Red makes air quotes with her fingers, “ulterior motives here, Kenneth, is YOU.” 

Jimmy looks back and forth between the two, “we don’t have time for your sexual tension.”

Red and Kenny shoot each other disgusted looks and take a step back, which really is more of a jump away from each other.

“I’d rather die...” Kenny starts.

“Oh please,” Red interrupts rolling her eyes and moving away from Kenny, “like I would ever do that again.”

The room quickly falls into hushed murmurs at this information. 

Sighing at the upcoming loss to her reputation, Red wets her bottom lip, and says a silent prayer that Tweek at least will believe her little lie. 

“As I was saying earlier before this asshole interrupted me,” she pushes Kenny causing him to stumble backwards and fall to the floor. “I know for a fact that Thomas is not, nor was he ever involved with Craig.”

“And once again, we should believe you because....?” Kenny sneers as he pulls himself off of the ground. 

Red smirks, “because he is with me, Dumbass.”

Kenny pales for a second, and he shifts uncomfortably before his face falls back into his normal expression, his trademark smart ass grin stretching across his lips. He wipes his palms on his pant legs before taking another step towards Red, “I would say I don’t believe it, but then again, it doesn’t take much to get you too,” he smirks wider, “well you know.”

Red’s own smirk fades as she takes another step toward Kenny, her gaze hardens as she levels her cold stare at Kenny’s face, “You are one to talk Kenny.”

“Hold on, WHAT?!” Annie says as she tucks a strand of curly blond hair behind her ear. “Red, you never told us you hooked up with Thomas.”

Millie nods in agreement as she stands up. “We all know about your unfortunate incident with Kenny but Thomas? Isn’t he involved with Craig?”

Red shakes her head, “No, Thomas is straight,” she looks pointedly at Tweek as she says this, “Thomas and I have been involved for a couple weeks,” she shrugs, “I didn’t think it was a big deal until Kenny started this whole ‘Craig cheated on Tweek’ bullshit.”

“Ngh, but Craig...”

Red walks over to Tweek and puts her left hand on his shoulder, “No Tweek, he didn’t. I am not saying he didn’t do something stupid, like ignoring you or something, but he didn’t cheat on you. Even Craig isn’t that much of an asshole.

“I... I don’t understand,” Tweek murmurs to himself as he glances down at the carved heart now glistening under a small puddle made by the melted ice shards. “ He… and Thomas... they looked... li...like,” Tweek twitches violently, “together.”

Red shrugs, “Thomas isn’t into Craig like that, but,” she smiles thinly hoping her words are convincing enough. After all, her and Thomas had spent a good twenty minutes going over the details of this little lie. “Thomas was nervous Craig wouldn’t want to be his friend because he was... well...” her voice trails off. She shrugs, “Craig can be protective of his family.”

Annie and Millie grab onto each other and start to discuss these events animatedly and very loudly) causing a few of their classmates to look at the girls. Red nods along with their words, non verbally confirming the girls re-telling of the events, which of course causes even more teens to break out in hushed conversations.

Kenny, who is still standing in the middle of the classroom glaring at Red, opens his mouth to protest but just as he goes to do so, Cartman comes waltzing into the room. He also does not have this particular class but Heidi does and he is escorting her to class. In reality, he had only suggested bringing her to class so he could add his own theories to Thomas/Craig rumors circulating around the school.

He takes one look at the scowl on Kenny’s face and the look of hope on Tweek’s before letting go of Heidi’s hand. He tilts his head to the left slightly, straining his ears so he can hear the gossip better. As the murmurs of Thomas and Red’s entanglement fills his ears, Cartman smiles, a wide demented grin that can only mean one thing; trouble.

“Hey Keeeny, you’re not going to believe this,” he shouts shifting his weight in such a way that it brings the entire class focus onto him, “I just heard Stan telling Kaahl that he caught Thomas and Craaig doing gay shit in the music room.”

Kenny’s eyes widen at Cartman’s obvious lie and then his lips twist into a smirk resembling the one currently twisting Cartman’s plump features into a demented mask. 

“That’s impossible,” Annie shouts. “Thomas is with Red!”

Millie nods, “unless,” she appears to be lost in thought, like whatever piece of information currently bouncing its way around her head pains her. In reality she can barely keep the smile off of her face as she further twists the story, “Thomas is also involved with Craig.”

The pathetic heartbreaking murmur coming from Tweek only fuels the two girls’ excitement. Once again, they latch onto each other practically giddy with the latest piece of scandalized news.

Cartman seeing just what the two girls are doing quickly nods his head. “You guys, you guys, it’s true.”

“Eric,” Heidi begins. 

He steps further away from her, his face lighting up at the sounds of distress coming from Tweek.

“I saw them myself, Twitch,” he puts a hand over his heart in mock sympathy, “Craig had him pushed up against the piano and they were...” a small cruel laugh, “well do you really want to know what your boyfriend was doing?” He has the audacity to wink at Tweek. 

Clyde and Jimmy exchange glances and then Clyde protectively wraps his arms around the distressed boy sitting beside him trying to deflect his attention away from Cartman.

“Shut up fat ass,” Clyde hisses, “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy interjects, “you just said that S...Stan told Kyle, and now you...you.. you’re changing your story.” 

He puts his crutches next to his side of the table before lowering himself into the seat next to Tweek. Once he is comfortable, he twists his body in such a way so he is facing his friend. “Tweek, I don’t know what was going on at lunch or why Craig was acting that way, but you know he would never...” he starts rubbing Tweek’s back in an attempt to comfort him, “so...do...don’t believe a thing that Cartman says, he is a stupid liar.”

Cartman folds his hand across his chest, “I saw what I saw,” he announces. Ignoring the look that Heidi is shooting him he steps further into the class. “It's not the first time either.”

Heidi scoffs at him, “Eric, this is serious. These rumors could do serious damage to Tweek and Craig’s relationship. You need to stop.”

Cartman waves his hands at her in a dismissive motion. “Just last week I caught them practically going at it in the janitor closet,” he interrupts.

“Thomas just moved back to South Park this past weekend,” Red reminds the class. “I would know, ‘cause we have been talking online for the past few weeks.” Red lowers her burning face to the ground thankfully Kenny and Cartman hadn’t caught onto her little slip up.

Tweek is staring down at his desk again, trying his best to ignore the rumors swirling around him trying his best to block out the amount of evidence piling up against Craig. “It doesn’t matter, “ he mumbles to himself. 

Cartman frowns at Red’s words. He had forgotten Thomas had only just moved back to South Park. He rubs his chin with a chubby hand as he thinks of a way to save his lie. He has nothing against Tweek. Honestly, the spaz is somewhat, kind of, could potentially be a friend (or a scapegoat when his gang gets in trouble) but for some bizarre reason, Tweek went and entangled himself with Craig Fucker of all people. God, how he hated that smug asshole, so even if it means hurting Tweek’s little feelings, he relishes the thought of getting one over on Tucker. Besides, it looks as if Kenny would love to step in and take Tucker’s place. 

Kenny! that’s it!

Cartman mentally does a fist pump. After all it's not every day one gets such an amazingly sweet idea. So what if it means Kenny will be thrown under the bus? Eric’s smile widens, and he rubs his hands together in barely suppressed glee. 

“Keennny,” he says his friend's name in such a way that all the kids in their class are now watching him. Even Tweek has raised his head from the table and is looking back and forth between Kenny and Cartman. This is too perfect. Cartman makes sure to force his best helpless look onto his face, and then seals Craig’s fate.” He was in the janitor's closet with Keeenny.”

“Shut up you fat piece of shit!” Kennys snarls. “Tweek, come on. You know it’s not true. Tucker and I hate each other.” Kenny turns to Tweek in desperation who in return is staring at Kenny with a horrified expression. 

Unwanted, another memory crashes over him. A moment two weeks earlier where Craig and Kenny were staring at each other in Tweek Bros consumed by hatred and anger and something else so twisted that Tweek didn’t even want to think about it.

“Ngh, Kenny... you... and Craig... all this time you... you...” 

Tweek can feel that all too familiar cold bitterness washing over him as that particular memory shifts and turns in his mind into something way darker. This time, instead of Craig practically throwing Kenny out of Tweek Bros, he is grabbing Kenny and pulling him closer until their lips are touching.

“No, No, No” Tweek is staring at Kenny but it’s as if he is looking right through him. All he can see now is the so-called betrayal of his friend. Craig with Thomas is one thing but Craig and Kenny... He shakes his head trying to rid his sight of the cruel visions plaguing him. Without realizing it, his hands make their way to his golden locks, his fingers curling around the roots and he is pulling, pulling, pulling.

“Tweekers, Craig hates Kenny, remember? He is always bitching about how much attention Kenny pays to you,” Clyde says gently as he wraps his hands around Tweek’s fingers trying to pry them out of his hair.

“That’s right,” Jimmy interjects. “Craig would never do something like that with Kenny, or Thomas, or anyone except, well... you.”

Jimmy’s voice pulls Tweek from his waking nightmare. He squints at Jimmy, frowning slightly. 

“Me?” 

A cold gust of wind suddenly fills the classroom again, as deranged laughter falls from Tweek’s lips. Clyde and Jimmy shoot each other concerned glances.

Kenny, seeing what is about to happen, takes a step towards Tweek. “That’s right,” he says clearing his throat, “Craig wouldn’t do anything like that with anyone but you.” His concern for his friend’s mental state outweighs his desire to interfere with Tweek’s relationship.

The temperature drops even more causing numerous students in the room to start shivering. 

“What’s going on?” Annie asks as the light fixture in the room starts to sway slightly, blinking on and off every time it does so.

“Tweek, listen to me” Red says desperately, “Craig loves you. He didn’t hook up with Thomas or Kenny.”

“Keenny and Craig were making out in detention,” Cartman chimes in.

“Enough,” Heidi shouts. Her hands are on her hips and she is glaring at her boyfriend. “Apologize to Tweek for making shit up and then leave.”

“They weren’t just kissing either,” Eric continues, enjoying the way his words are twisting the spazzy boy’s features. “In fact,Craig had his hands down...”

Kenny grabs a book off of a nearby table and throws it at Cartman. “Don’t drag me into your lies, you stupid fat fuck!” 

Clyde is pleading with Tweek, “Come on, Tweeker, you know none of this is true, the only one he has ever kissed is you! So you don’t-”

Tweek’s stares at Clyde miserably as the air in the room grows even colder. He shakes his head. “Ngh, we have never kissed.”

A chorus of whispers fills the room as this tasty little piece of gossip is ingested by the other students. 

“But, but...” Clyde whines, “that’s impossible”

An explosion of ice hitting the window just outside the classroom stops Clyde mid sentence. A few of the girls scream at the sound and look around in confusion. 

“My cousin is an emotionally stunted asshole but that doesn’t make him a cheater” Red says gently.

Tweek looks up at her with hope. Instantly, the strange weather phantasm-like activity stops.

This little confession fills Cartman with glee. This is just perfect, so perfect, he couldn’t have asked for a better way to bring that asshole Craig down to size. “Of course he hasn’t kissed you, he was too busy swapping spit with Thomas, and Keeeny and...” he wets his lips savouring this moment, “ and Kaahl..”

At the addition of Kyle’s name, the look on Tweek’s face changes to disgust and then anger. He shakes his head. “You’re lying,” Tweek says with conviction, “you’re lying about Kyle and you’re lying about Kenny.”

Kenny sighs in defeat, “and he is lying about Thomas too. I am sorry Tweek, I just wanted what was best for you.”

Tweek glares at him, “Ngh, w...what does that mean?”

“It means there is zero proof that Craig ever cheated on you, with anyone. It’s all lies. Every single one of them, which is why Cartman can’t be trusted. He is deceiving you.”

“He’s trying to throw you off because he is the one involved with Craig, and now he is trying to worm his way out of it...“ Cartman interjects, “and Kaahl is their lookout. That’s why he was with them in detention.” 

Heidi, who had been watching this all unfold with an unhappy expression on her face, shakes her head, “Eric, this isn’t the time to make up rumours. Tweek needs our support.”

Cartman turns to his girlfriend, an annoyed expression falling across his face. “But Heidi, isn’t telling Tweek what Craig gets up to when he isn’t around supportive?”

The girls in the centre of the gossip are nodding along with Cartman’s words.

“I don’t believe you,” Tweek says quietly, turning his back on the others,“I don’t believe a thing you say.”

“Tweek,” Kenny starts.

“Just leave,” Red murmurs, “haven’t you done enough damage?”

With a triumphant smile Eric spins on his heels and marches out of the room with a despondent looking Kenny following close behind him.

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience. The next chapter is mostly finished ( I have to rewrite a few parts) so hopefully I will have a update next week.


	8. Chap 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig and Tweek have a confrontation about what happened in the cafeteria! The outcome of which spells disaster for their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Ambercreek 95 for editing this chapter and for coming up with the idea of Kenny and Tweek passing notes to each other, it really gave the story another level.

Tweek sits rigid in his seat staring down at the dark plastic-like-fake wood surface of his desk. His English textbook sits perched precariously on the edge of the table. A periwinkle blue pencil case and a dark blue binder decorated with rainbow stars and coffee cup stickers sits stacked on top of the textbook. Tweek glances at them slightly before turning his attention to the blue pen in his hand. He quickly glances to his left, and then his right, before putting ink to paper and starting to scribble words. It's a trick that Craig had taught him years ago. When his thoughts started to run off on their own little tangent,Tweek would often write them down. The art of giving his thoughts, and in a way his fears, a written voice is usually soothing.

Only this time, the angry nervousness bubbling just beyond the surface of Tweek’s confused thoughts is actually causing his anxiety to grow. He stares down at the jumbled thoughts, words, sentence fragments, none of which make any sense. He closes his eyes and takes a calming breath. He goes further into himself, finding his centre. “Find your happy place” he mumbles to himself, and then almost as if it had a mind of its own, his right hand starts to scratch out its own worries. He writes automatically, eyes still clenched tightly until his hand stops. He takes a deep breath, almost afraid to see what secrets his mind had conjured up, before opening his eyes and staring down at the paper.

Large loopy lines and barely coherent scribbles run down and across the paper. They seem to intersect in various places until they come to three single words which have been circled with lopsided oval like shapes. Craig, lights, frozen.

A small little gasp, and then a single “Ngh,” fall from his lips. He blinks down at the paper at the automatic thoughts that had fallen from him in a frenzy. Biting his bottom lip, he quickly reaches out with a shaking hand and grabs the paper, looking around to make sure he isn’t the centre of unwanted attention. Once seeing no one is watching him (though he seriously doubts that the gnomes aren’t watching somewhere-somehow), Tweek folds the paper in half, and then in half again, and then finally folds it lengthwise. Once again he checks his surroundings and when he is sure it's safe, he tucks the folded paper within his jeans pocket.

Although he is angry with Craig for ignoring him and being dishonest about their relationship earlier that day, he no longer believes the other is capable of betraying him. He still doesn’t know what this all means for them, but the anger and hurt has fizzled.

Although he is beyond angry and frustrated with Kenny for taking advantage of his mental state and further driving a wedge between him and Craig, he knows deep down inside that Kenny was coming from a kind hearted place instead of malice.

Although he has way too much already dancing within the crowded confines of his mind, and he is tired, so very tired, Tweek can’t help but focus on the strange events that had happened last period. It is clear from his automatic writing exercise that the strangeness of that episode is twisting itself into his worries.

What did it mean? He knows that he hadn’t imagined the crystallized tears, nor the lights turning on and off, or the strange coldness, but what he didn’t know, but really suspected, is that he is somehow responsible for the phenomenon.

Tweek eyes fall to his hands, “oh God! am...am I going crazy?”

He wipes his sweaty hands on his pants and twitches slightly before his hands fall back to the graffiti scratched table. He sighs slightly, “Gah!” And then with his left index finger, follows the grooves of the graffiti marks that are scratched into the table's surface. He closes his eyes trying to focus his energy onto those marks, trying to recreate the incident from earlier.

The lights flicker, casting the classroom into darkness. A girl screams in the back and few other students start talking excitedly. After a few seconds of darkness, just as Tweek opens his eyes, the lights come back on.

“Ngh, it didn’t work,” he says miserably to himself as the sickly yellow light of the classroom fills his sight.

“What didn’t work?” Kenny asks as he plops down onto the table next to Tweek.

“The happening,” Tweek says, his voice low and tinged with conspiracy.”

“What happening?” Kenny is sitting on top of his table, legs dangling over the edge kicking the air. He shifts closer to Tweek, “and does this mean your talking to me now?” He slides off the desk and stands, pivoting his body closer to Tweek.”

Kenny’s voice pulls Tweek from his own speculations, and onto the other blond who is standing dangerously close to him. His face falls into a grimace (which could rival his boyfriends) “Ngh, I told you to leave me alone.”

The flirty smile that had fallen across Kenny’s lips the moment Tweek had answered him, fades. He sighs dramatically and then sits in his chair, body still pivoted towards Tweek.  
“Oh come on Tweekers! I said I was sorry,” His voice is like syrup.

Tweek just turns away from him, and reaches for another piece of paper.

Kenny sighs, “Tweek?”

The other boy is scribbling furiously on his paper after a moment he puts his pen down and thrusts the paper towards Kenny.

With a wide grin Kenny accepts the note, “Oh, a love note,” he takes the letter and presses it against his chest. “You know Tweek, if you wanted to announce your intentions,” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, “all you have to do is day so.” A wink, and then he brings the paper to his lips. Finally he brings the paper down to his desk, opens it up, smooths it out, and then pouts. In big messy words Tweek had written, “GO AWAY”.

Kenny who walked into class with nothing but his winning personality quickly turns around and faces the seat behind him. A girl he had never seen before is sitting there staring back at him with large blue eyes. She has long blond hair which is pulled into pigtails.

“May I?” He asks in his most charming voice before reaching forward and grabbing the pen out of the girls hand. She looks at him, her face quickly turning red. Kenny laughs, and then he blows her a kiss. He turns and then quickly writes out his phone number which he then tosses behind him in the girls general direction. “Call me maybe?,” he asks sweetly. If the girls giggles are any indication, he knows she will. Kenny then turns back to Tweek smirking. The other blond is still ignoring him and had missed the whole thing. Kenny pouts. He wanted Tweek to see his little display. He wanted his friend to roll his eyes at him, and then flash him that cheeky grin. Kenny pushes his annoyance aside and starts writing on the piece of paper Tweek has shoved towards him. After a moment of writing he folds the paper up, and then just in case Craig is somewhere in the room, he draws a big heart on the top of the paper before tossing it at Tweek’s head.

The blond makes a cute frustrated sound as the note hits him on the top of the head. Tweek turns and glares in Kenny’s direction before bending over and picking the note off of the floor.

“Don’t throw my love away, Tweek,” Kenny quips, causing the kids near them to start laughing.

Meanwhile, Craig arrived just a few minutes earlier. He stands in the doorway, and watches with barely concealed rage as Kenny makes a big production of kissing a note Tweek had just passed him. Then as if flirting with someone else’s boyfriend was not enough, the disgusting human leach turns around and makes a total ass out of himself, flirting with some plain looking blond girl behind him. The whole display leaves a bad taste in Craig’s mouth. The desire to rush forward and save Tweek from Kenny’s slimy clutches fills him even more.

As if he could read Craig’s not so secret thoughts, Kenny continues to flirt with Tweek. Did this guy have no shame? Resisting the urge to punch the nearest surface or just Kenny’s smug face, Craig takes a few calming breaths and then enters the classroom.

Time seems to slow down, cliche as it may be, and Craig feels like he is walking in quicksand as he walks past Tweek and Kenny. The air is thick with tension and something else as Tweek and Craig lock gazes and then Tweek turns his head away, his eyes falling onto that stupid note. He scribbles something and passes it to Kenny. Then the spell is broken and all Craig can do is stand there staring at the two as Tweek purposely ignores his existence.

Kenny looks right at Craig, that wide awful grin he always wears directed towards the noirette. He takes the note in his hand, “a love note? for little old me?” His annoying voice announces.

Craig levels his trademark glare onto Kenny and then flips him off before walking to the back of the room, where he can have a prime seat to glare at the idiot.

The minute Craig sits down the whispered conversations of their classmates turn into excited murmurs. Craig flips off the entire class (except Tweek) and then turns his attention forward shooting love sick looks in Tweek’s direction.

Craig spends the remainder of the class trying to ignore the quickly spreading rumours about Red and Thomas but it's nearly impossible. His expression does not falter as the disgusting and quite graphic details of Red’s sordid affair reaches his ears.

Its the twist on the rumour (that he is almost a hundred percent positive that someone else must have added) that makes him hiss “fuck” angrily under his breath. The part about how Thomas is now involved in a bitter love triangle with Red and Craig. Tweek’s name is brought up from time to time, but for the most part he is left out of it. The original narrative of the rumour has changed. The destruction of a two and a half year relationship just isn’t as exciting as the tasty gossip of two cousins fighting over the same boy.

The hate and anger that were only hours ago directed his way have now been replaced by something else. Some of the other kids are giving him space. Those teens who are still circulating the original rumour that Tweek himself unwillingly started are keeping their distance from Craig, and have instead latched themselves onto Tweek.

The vast majority have taken to the latest gossip of Tweek’s breakdown and the resulting ruin of their relationship as old news. These kids keep shooting Craig curious looks. Some are even given him looks of pity. Craig flips each and everyone of them off before turning his attention back to his love sick stalker like staring.

Still the rumours grow more wild, twisting far away from the initial gossip. Craig has gone from being the most hated teen in the entire school to now the most tormented. He is a victim now, and Thomas, the mysterious and handsome new boy, is the villain playing with the hearts of two family members.

There is one part of the gossip floating around that causes Craig’s usual facade to crack slightly in shock, and his gaze to leave Tweek (only for a moment) and fall onto Kyle who is listening to the rumours with a look of absolute horror.

The excited murmurs tell a new story, a fairytale of betrayal and lust. A story about how Tweek and his new best friend Thomas caught Craig, Kyle and Kenny red handed in a compromising position in the janitors closet.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of such a lie, Craig glares at the three Asian girls (one of which is already busy drawing a disgusting photo of him and Kyle) before turning his attention back to Tweek. If Tweek had heard this latest piece of gossip, he isn’t letting on. He is looking at Kenny as he passes the stupid interfering jerk a note.

The gossiping girls have noticed this and have turned their attention to Tweek and Kenny and their ‘love’ notes. They remind Craig of the paparazzi, a special type of human vulture that prey on emotions and delight in misery. The more sordid the event, the more broken the person, the more they swarm. They are like fucking sharks circling Craig, just waiting for his blood to spill.

Craig ignores them. He ignores it all; ignores the stalker like Hollywood gossip his classmates are seeming to delight in, ignores the looks and whispers full of pity, he even ignores the teacher lecturing on and on about some dead poet. He ignores everything, except the boy with the spikey blond hair sitting four seats in-front of him.

It’s his last class of the day, English, and one of the only classes he has with Tweek this semester, and yet the desk beside Craig remains empty. Tweek is sitting, a shaking vibrating mess, right next to Kenny. For his part, Tweek has somehow made it halfway through the class ignoring Craig’s presence.

Next to him, Kenny is delighting in flaunting how ‘close’ he has suddenly grown to Tweek. So much so that Craig’s finding it harder and harder to suppress that simmering anger that threatens to erupt every time Kenny laughs, or says Tweek’s name, or, you know… just breaths. The thing that has Craig absolutely boiling though is the fact that Kenny can’t keep his fucking flirty nature to himself. He has spent the last 30 mins constantly flirting with Tweek. Every time he passes Tweek back the note the two have spent the majority of the class writing, he makes some kind of comment about the note being a ‘love’ note, or how he is expressing his true desires for the spazzy blond (Kenny’s words) or how he will mend Tweek’s broken heart with his lovely words. Every single time he would glance at Craig. a smug satisfied grin on his ugly face, and then he would bring that stupid note to his lips and kiss it, or hold it close to his chest, or declare how Tweek’s written words mean the world to him.

It’s gotten to the point that the other students, the vultures, have started to take notice and a new rumour is starting to take shape, fuelling the school’s gossip mill. A rumour that makes Craig’s head spin, and his stomach twist painfully. A whispering of a brand new couple.

Craig comes to his breaking point when from a few tables behind him, Wendy and Bebe’s excited whispers find their way to his ears. They are fucking gushing at how adorable Tweek and Kenny are. Craig breaks his pencil in half and contemplates murder. After all, the sharp jagged edges would be perfect tools to stab Kenny with over and over again.

As if he can suddenly sense Craig’s murderous thoughts, Tweek turns around and acknowledges Craig’s presence. The minute their eyes collide, all thoughts that aren’t of Tweek leave his head: The only thing that Craig can see are Tweek’s slightly swollen and red rimmed blue green eyes staring into his own. Tweek looks as lost as Craig feels.

The two of them continue to stare at each other for what feels like forever. A slight upwards curving of Craig’s lips is met with a frown from the other boy. Tweek folds his arms across his chest but still his eyes do not wander.

Hope blossoms in the centre of Craig’s chest, and then, as if he hasn’t meddled enough Kenny passes another note and then looks at Tweek with pleading eyes. Tweek smiles slightly and then nods. Kenny cheers loudly causing the teacher to sigh loudly and raise her voice. Then Kenny jumps out of his seat and wraps his arm around Tweek’s shoulder, he bends forward and whispers something in his ear. Tweek allows his gaze to linger on Craig for another agonizing short heartbeat and then he turns his head, facing forward, and away from Craig.

This of course didn’t go unnoticed by the other students. A new flurry of murmurs is growing steadily louder by the minute. Craig tries his best to ignore the noise, to keep the usual stoic expression he shows the world painted firmly on his face, but a flutter of movement in front of him captures his attention, forcing his facade to drop. Kenny is helping Tweek to his feet, hands curled around Tweek’s arms. A group of girls already surround the two boys, their audible “awww”’s filling the room.

Craig’s eyes harden as he glares in the girl's direction, his gaze falling across all of the teenagers except the two who are currently the reason for the ever growing gossip. He clears his throat until the girls one by one direct their attention onto him, and then once most of the class is looking at him, he holds up both his hands, folds his fingers down until he is flipping them all off. He gathers his school books, jams them into his backpack and then stands up. Slowly he walks past all the other desks, stopping for a moment beside Tweek and Kenny’s table.

“I’ll be at your locker,” his usual monotone voice declares, and then without another word, barely a glance backwards Craig starts moving forward. Ignoring the teachers' protests, Craig with his head held high storms out of the classroom.

The large old circular clock sitting on the wall just above the current row of lockers Craig is leaning against is slowly ticking towards 3pm. Craig looks over at the classroom that he has just left shooting worried glances in its direction.

A few minutes ago when he had uttered his intention of meeting Tweek at his locker he had felt full of confidence, but now fear has its icy grip on him. What if Tweek knowing Craig will be there waiting for him surpasses his locker and just leaves the school, or worse he does make an appearance but with Kenny tagging along beside him. Kenny finding another excuse to fuck things up even more. It was a mistake to announce to the entire class that he would be waiting for Tweek. Craig should have just have left the classroom and waited without the fan fair. At least the rumours about Red and Thomas have spread far through the school, so much so that Craig is confident that Tweek has heard them. He hopes that with the knowledge that he had in fact not cheated that Tweek would be more open to discuss things with him. Yes, he had fucked up by trying to hide their relationship but at least Tweek knows now it wasn’t for such a horrible reason. As Craig works through all this in his head, the bell rings. Time has run out and it's time to face the consequences of his actions.

Craig watches as the door to the classroom slowly opens. He doesn’t even realize he is holding his breath until the first students start to spill out into the hallway. A group of girls, who are huddled together keep glancing in his direction as they slowly make their way to their own lockers (which conveniently seem to be near Tweek’s).

And then, like a spectre of golden light fallen across the earth, a fallen angel sent here just for Craig,Tweek steps into the hallway, alone.

He is twitching slightly, fingers trembling as they absentmindedly pull at the golden curls framing his pale face. His wide aqua eyes frantically scan the hallway shooting worried glances at the girls before falling onto Craig’s waiting form. He takes a deep breath, and then another, and yet another before swiftly walking to his locker.

For a moment, Craig fears that Tweek will ignore him and then in a soft voice which causes Craig’s heart to thump wildly Tweek’s words fill the hallway.

“You have five minutes.”

“Tweek,” Craig begins, “I owe you an apology.”

Tweek takes a step closer to Craig, “and...”

All around them the girls grow silent. They had huddled closer to each other in groups of three or four, leaning forward with their arms wrapped tightly around each-other as they watched the next instalment of their favourite middle school drama.

Craig ignores them all, his sole focus on Tweek. “I am surprised Kenny isn’t with you,” anger imminent in his voice.

Tweek’s hands fall from his hair and land restlessly at his sides, his dark eyes harden as he levels his gaze onto Craig, “you now have four minutes.”

Craig frowns at that, “whatever you want, I’ll do it!”

Tweek shakes his head, “it's not enough.”

Desperation forces Craig into action. He rushes forward, reaching for Tweek but at the last moment he stops, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air before falling to his sides. He takes a deep breath, his voice shaking slightly as he says, “you know I didn’t cheat on you.”

Tweek lowers his gaze, “so I have heard.”

“So you believe me then?” He cant help the desperation, the hope, that floods his voice nor does he care at this point.

“It still doesn’t change anything.” Tweek whispers, dropping his gaze to the floor, unable to look at Craig.

“Fuck you, it changes everything!” He didn’t mean to get so flustered but the pressure of the last few hours and the weight of the possibility of losing Tweek forever has caused Craig’s already strained patience to break.

“No, fuck you! I may have been wrong about T-Thomas but that still doesn’t change the fact that you ignored me when I NEEDED YOU!”

Craig is silent for a moment, guilt and fear twisting his guts and then as he looks at his boyfriend, the boy who didn’t trust him, who wouldn’t get over a simple mistake, Craig starts to feel angry. Angry at Tweek, angry at the whole situation but mostly angry at Kenny and his meddling ways. “Is that what you think or is that what Kenny thinks?”

Tweek shakes his head, “Kenny has nothing to do with this.”

“This is ALL Kenny! why can’t you see that?!”

Tweek shakes his head, raising his gaze from the floor and glaring at Craig. “Take responsibility for your actions Craig. It was you who ignored me. It was you who pretended I didn’t exist. It was you who wasn’t there when I needed you,” Tweek yells and then his voice grows softer, so soft that Craig can barely hear him, “and it’s you that refuses to kiss me.”

The two stare at each other for a moment, the air between them thick with apprehension. The swiftly growing crowd presses closer to them. Some of the girls have taken out their cell phones and are pointing them in the boys direction, ready to immortalize whatever story is going to unfold. A blond girl, who sounds alot like Bebe, calls for bets, 2-1 for Tweek to kick Craig’s sorry cheating ass.

Craig barely realizes they are there. He tunes their annoying incessant buzzing out. He takes a series of deep breaths, greedily sucking in the lungfuls of tainted air, trying to calm his nerves, trying to calm the rage boiling just beneath the surface of his indifference. Kenny will pay for this, and if Tweek... well if he wanted to throw it all away because of Kenny’s insistence, well then so be it.

“Think twice before you do this,” his voice is cold, devoid of the conflicting emotions racing through him, “because you won’t get another chance. ”

For a moment, it appears as if Tweek isn’t even going to respond. He is just standing there, a shocked expression marking his pale face. He is twitching more than normal, his body’s spasms a rejection of Craig’s words and of this whole sordid mess.

He pushes past the hurt and allows Craig’s words to penetrate the whispers currently having a party in his mind.

He blocks out the excited murmurs of their classmates, the rumours and bets swirling around them. He does this all as he stares at his ‘boyfriend’. Craig’s face is pinched, his eyebrows arched, his lips pulled tight into a frown. His eyes are the worst though; they are empty, completely devoid of emotion. Tweek feels as if he is staring at a ghost, a shadow, a mere image of the boy he once knew. Gone is his best friend, gone is his boyfriend, gone is any trace of the boy he once held so dear. Then the facade breaks and it’s just Craig staring back at him, annoyance dancing in his emerald eyes. He sighs, wiping his right hand across his face. “Tweek, can we just...”

“Don’t...” Tweek shakes his head, “I needed you Craig. I was lost and you did nothing. It’s too late.”

“NO!” Craig grabs onto Tweek shaking him slightly. “It's never too late and if you weren’t acting like such a god damn baby then you would see that!”

Tweek’s eyes go wide with shock. “W..what?”

“Tweek I didn’t cheat on you but you’re acting like I did, how is this fair?”

Tweek‘s aqua orbs widen at Craig’s words, he nods his head and for a very brief moment it appears as if he has been swayed by the other:

”Honey,” Craig continues in a patronizing tone, “you’re being way too emotional you need to calm the fuck down and think about this in a logical and rational matter.” 

Tweek pushes Craig off of him, “At least I have emotions you... you... emotionless jerk! and you...”

Tweek stops mid rant as a loud crash fills the air.

The closest light fixture to them in the middle of the hallway had just exploded, glass and smoke falling from the sky causing the crowd to move even closer to Tweek and Craig. Craig stares up at the fixture with a perplexed look on his face momentarily forgetting he is in a very important yet heated exchange with his boyfriend.

“You’re not listening to me,” Tweek yells. “This is exactly why I...”

Craig turns his attention away from the shattered light and back onto Tweek. The blond is standing so close that Craig could just wrap his arms around the other’s waist and pull him closer. He could just hold him until Tweek comes to his senses. He plans to do just that when Tweek’s angry voice pulls him back to his senses, and instead of listening to his heart Craig listens to his brain and takes a step backwards.

“Look, I already said I was sorry. What more do you want?”

The look on Tweeks face turns from annoyance to outright fury, “what do I want?!”

Craig sighs in frustration and then nods.

“I want to be with someone who actually gives a damn about me,” Tweek’s voice breaks a little, “someone who will actually kiss me...”

Craig rolls his eyes at that, “Oh, I am sorry Tweek that I am not loves bitch and actually don’t let my emotions guide me.”

“You don’t have any emotions,” The furious blond screams at him. “You... you... you don’t care.” He wipes at his eyes, “if you did you wouldn’t have left me when I needed you. You wouldn’t have ignored me in the middle of a fucking panic attack.”

Craig sighs in aggravation, “Tweek, I lo- care a lot about you and you know I will always be here, but your mental health is NOT my responsibility.”

The sound of Tweek’s palm hitting the right side of Craig’s face echoes through the hall. Tweek’s eyes widen. He looks down at his palm, his hand turning red from the force of the blow. He shakes as he lowers it to his side.

“Oh Gd... ngh… I... I didn’t mean to!” Tweek shrieks as he slowly backs away from Craig. “Oh God, what did I do?” Tweek’s hands are now in his hair pulling, pulling, pulling, golden strands tangled within his fingertips.

Craig doesn’t react to the blow at all; he just stands there like a mute robot. The redness spreading across his left cheekbone is the only sign that something unusual has just happened. The energy from earlier has changed. No longer is the air charged with anger, or fear, instead an aura of sorrow clings to them.

All around them the crowd has come back to life. The silence that had fallen over them when Tweek had slapped Craig only lasting a long drawn out heartbeat

“Say something,” Tweek pleads, crystal droplets are openly falling from his eyes, he wipes at them, and still Craig remains silent staring back at him.

And then the pressure is too much for Tweek. He spins around, pivoting himself in the opposite direction and runs blindly away from Craig’s still form.

The crowd realizing they won’t get a reaction out of the stoic uncaring Craig Tucker disperse leaving Craig standing all alone in the middle of the hallway.

Slowly with his hands shaking, he reaches up and touches the red mark Tweek’s palm left on his cheek. The tenderness of its sting is nothing compared to the hopeless feeling crushing him. He feels trapped by his own inability to fix this, to find a way to bridge the gap between them. His frown deepens as he looks in the direction Tweek just ran in. He knows he should run after him, should somehow fix this, but he doesn’t know how. So instead he just stands there, the perfect model of indifference to the world, but inside Craig is falling apart.

He removes his hand from his stinging cheek, letting it drop lifelessly to his side. His eyes flickering back and forth across the empty hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are finally nearing the end of the story! Thank you for your patience with my slow updates. I hope you all will continue the story of these two after this story ends. Future stories will be getting more into the super hero aspects of this series which started last chapter with Tweek.


	9. It’s okay to have feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig has a talk with his father that makes him realize that perhaps it’s okay to give into his feelings and desires as long as it’s age appropriate and not inappropriate of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ambercreek95 for editing this for me :)
> 
> This chapter references the talk Craig and his dad had in inappropriate moments.

Craig continues to stare vacantly in the direction Tweek had ran off in moments earlier. He is lost in thought, conflicted with his own barely contained emotions. His head is buzzing so much that he isn’t even aware of Wendy stepping away from the group of girls and approaching him. Gently she reaches out for him, touching his shoulder with a concerned expression on her pretty face. She presses her lips together in worry before saying his name, “Craig?” 

He doesn’t even acknowledge her, but he is aware of her. Her presence in his personal bubble causes his facade to crack slightly. The dazed vacant look leaves his eyes and his gaze starts to dart frantically around the hallway. 

A few of the other girls have also crowded around him, their once cruel expressions now twisted into some kind of semblance of concern. 

“Are you okay?” Wendy is saying. 

He shrugs, trying desperately to hold onto his air of indifference.

“Was that the first time that he’s hit you?” another girl whose voice is slightly familiar asks, her voice laced with concern but underneath lies a certain giddy quality to it. “Has he been abusing you this entire time?”

Craig frowns at the implications of her words. He lifts his right hand up and flips her off. The fact that these girls would pretend to be concerned about him only to then try and start such a horrible rumour about Tweek pisses him off.

Craig turns and looks at her. It’s Millie, he realizes. She looks at him with cruel curiosity dancing in her eyes. “Fucking bitches” he hisses under his breath before brushing past them and, without a single glance back, starts to walk in the direction Tweek has gone. 

His pace is slow as he replays what happened over again in his mind. Tweek had slapped him and had engaged in an act of violence against him. He should be angry. He should be furious. He should be content in letting the other walk out of his life, and yet all he can feel is an unnamed emotion which leaves him feeling sick, his nerves twisting and turning in the pits of his stomach. He prides himself in staying cool and collected, not showing the world a single damn thing and yet he can’t help the smallest hint of emotion that flickers in his eyes when his right hand reaches up and caresses his face. Tweek, although not a pushover, has never resorted to violence to solve his problems, and yet if Craig’s stinging cheek is any indication, he had pushed Tweek to do just that. It wasn’t so much the fact that Tweek had hit him but the very knowledge that he had struck him that has Craig so conflicted. That same emotion from earlier is burning a hole through his thoughts, consuming the logic Craig loves to cling to. Tweek hitting him meant one thing; things were bad, so very extremely bad and no amount of logic was going to fix this. There is no magical band aid solution. Craig has no idea whatsoever how to reach the other.

Craig’s legs stop automatically in front of the school’s front door and his hand shakes slightly as he reaches up and touches the handle. He can’t bring himself to push open the door and for a moment, he stands there unsure of what to do. What if Tweek is waiting just outside the school? Would they fight more? Or would Tweek pretend Craig didn’t exist? He doesn’t want either. He wants Tweek to apologize again and to feel the blonde’s lips softly grazing his stinging skin. He wants to pull the other into his arms and just pretend this stupid fight never happened. Yet, he can’t for the life of him figure out how to make any of those things happen. For the first time since extending his open hand towards Tweek that faithful October day Craig is at a loss on what to do.

Logically, he knows he should just point out the blonde’s faults, and should patiently explain to the other that blindly giving into his emotions is not only foolish but has consequences. He didn’t cheat on Tweek, and frankly, Tweek should be ashamed of himself for not trusting Craig, and yet... isn’t it Craig himself that made him feel like he couldn’t? The realization is startling and causes Craig’s eyes to widen. He is partly responsible for Tweek not trusting him, regardless of the fact that he didn’t actually do anything to warrant such distrust. Nausea further twists inside Craig causing bile to rise to his throat. He pushes the door open, takes a single step outside, bends over and then he is vomiting, purging his body of all these conflicting negative emotions.

He stands up, wipes his mouth with the back of his sleeve and starts to walk quickly in the direction of his house. Logically, he should go and find Tweek and force him to see reason but Craig’s emotions are far too unstable for him to face Tweek at the moment.

He tries to push them down, tries to reason with himself. He knows the facts; he had acted suspiciously towards Thomas and ignored Tweek and because of it, Tweek allowed himself to become completely consumed by jealousy. He should have done something to stop it, but he didn’t and now things were so beyond fucked up. He can admit that he is partly at fault for all this but that still doesn’t change the fact he didn’t cheat on Tweek and Tweek is still acting like a spoiled baby and refusing to see that fact is the only thing that should matter. It infuriates Craig. Why should he be the only one who is at fault when he didn’t do the very thing that Tweek accused him of? 

Craig is halfway home when another thought enters his mind; neither he nor Tweek are at fault, not really. Kyle, who knows his history with Thomas and knows how paranoid Tweek can be, could have pre-warned Craig. If Craig had only known Thomas was back, then this whole sordid mess wouldn’t have happened. 

And just who is Kyle best friends with (other than Stan) but Kenny. This whole thing was orchestrated by Kenny McCormick who has made his intentions towards Tweek known weeks ago. Kenny is bad news. He is a rebel who (unlike Craig who only rebels against change) thrives on chaos. Kenny enjoys pushing the boundaries and often inserts himself into situations he didn’t belong. He openly does drugs, smokes on school property and, if the rumour mill could be believed, he had even once cracked open a beer in the middle of the school’s hallway. There was once a point in time that Craig had envied Kenny’s carefree nature. He may be a bad boy but everyone says he has a good heart. The boy is practically friends with everyone. Kenny is so much the opposite of Craig that Craig found himself growing wary of him. The fact that he also hung around Stan and those guys, who in Craig’s opinion were nothing but bad news, has turned that envy into dislike. 

The final straw had come last year when Kenny had attached himself to Red, Craig’s cousin. Craig wasn’t super close to Red or anything but family was family and if you messed with one Tucker, you messed with them all. Red had just recently come out of a bad break up with Kevin and against everyone’s advice, had aligned herself with Kenny. The little fling she had with Kenny had lasted barely a month and ended right after the slimey bastard got what he wanted. Other girls had stepped out and told similar stories and Craig’s opinion of the flirty blond was forever changed. Weirdly, Kenny still remained beloved by their peers citing that he had never promised any of those girls more than a good time. Logically, Craig could see just what type of guy Kenny is and it makes his skin crawl every time the blonde’s wandering eyes fall on Tweek, but no one else seems to care or notice that this type of behaviour is so beyond disturbing. As far as Craig is concerned, Kenny McCormick is a predator.

The thought of Kenny and his intentions towards Tweek and the knowledge of how he had perfectly played Craig and Tweek against each other fills Craig with rage. He is consumed by his hatred. The knowledge that both he and Tweek are also to blame leaves him and all he can focus on is the part Kenny had to play.

Craig turns onto his street. His house which is the last one on the left isn’t quite visible from where he stands. There is a little ‘park’ which is actually little more than a trail which leads into his backyard. If he is in a hurry he would cut through the park, and he does just that as his imagination fills his mind with Kenny making a move on a distraught Tweek. His inside twist as he envisions Tweek clinging to the slimy bastard as he pours his heart out. Tweek would be trembling, twitching more than normal, as he explains to Kenny why he had just slapped his boyfriend. Kenny then would bring that very hand, the hand that had made the offensive act against Craig, and place kisses against it, and then he would start whispering promises he never intended to keep until Tweek would barely be able to see reason and would allow himself to sink into the whispered lies. It’s not that Craig doesn’t trust Tweek but the fact remains that if anyone could sweet talk someone into being unfaithful, it would be Kenny Fucking McCormick.

By the time Craig is half way through the trail, the ugly certainty that Tweek is losing himself in the arms of another fills him. He fights against the nausea threatening to make another appearance, swallowing down his bile. Rage, hot like molten lava, fills his senses. He can feel nothing else. Logic has left him; he is completely convinced in this moment that he has lost Tweek forever. The anger is bubbling, boiling his insides, melting him into nothing more but a machine with one single purpose; to destroy Kenny. His gaze hardens as it falls onto the trees that line the trail. He can almost imagine Kenny’s satisfied smile as he takes what doesn’t belong to him sitting amongst the tree branches. The rage further twists through him and without thinking, or acknowledging that he is doing the very thing he always chides Tweek for, Craig loses himself in his emotions. He gives into the feeling, embracing it. He is mad with the power of it. The chaotic freedom this basic emotion gives him is intoxicating.

“Fuck you!” he screams at no one but the imaginary flirty grin of a certain blond. “Fuck your meddling, you stupid fucking piece of shit! You’re garbage, you’re...” His voice leaves him as his hatred towards the other reaches its boiling point. 

Craig’s body tenses with tumultuous energy. He is shuffling back and forth in place, much like a boxer does before a fight. His hands fist at his side and without even realizing he is doing it, he raises his left hand up to the nearest tree and starts to pummel into its trunk.

Pieces of bark and sap fly all around him as he continues his furious assault on the helpless tree trunk. Craig grunts, the pain that will soon be radiating through his hand a mere blip in his mind, as he continues to fuel his rage at the tree.

Just as quickly as the rage fills him, it drains away leaving Craig breathless and leaning into the very tree he has just abused. He is bent forward slightly breathing deeply, greedily sucking in large mouthfuls of air. He stands up after a moment and wipes at his brow with his left hand, wincing slightly as his tender bruised skin comes into contact with his sweaty forehead.

He looks down at his hand in amazement. It is swelling quickly, the skin rapidly turning a nasty purplish blue colour. He straightens his fingers and wiggles them as pain bites at his senses, causing him to hiss out “fuck,” and yet the pain is not as bad as you would imagine it to be. The fact he can move his fingers also shows that he hasn’t broken his hand. Weird.

Craig stares down at his hand in amazement. Although it is still swelling, the dark purplish colour is already turning into a blueish black colour. He wiggles his fingers some more, expecting the pain from earlier to show its ugly head but it's just a dull ache at this point. What the actual fuck? He wonders as his feet slowly start to pull him back onto the trail and in the direction of his house.

The anger is still there as he walks, cradling his hurt hand against his chest. it’s not all consuming like before and logically, Craig can see that losing control and punching the fuck out of a tree probably wasn’t the best way of dealing with his problems but it’s still there as his house comes into view. 

Craig is able to keep the anger at bay as he ponders just what happened. He never loses control. Never allows his emotions to shape his actions. Never allows something even as basic as anger to consume him like that. He takes a series of deep breaths and then opens his front door. For a second he is okay, rational and in control of himself and then his eyes fall onto the yaoi artwork hanging on the entrance way wall.

The anger is back but instead of being focused at Kenny, it’s focused at that stupid photo. The printed artwork is dripping with lies. The two of them are sitting side by side on their old elementary school’s swing set. Craig’s swing is ankled slightly ahead of Tweek’s and his arm is extended out behind him so the two of them could hold hands. This drawing of Craig and Tweek is part of the collection of yaoi art work that his father collects and displays around their house in some lame attempt to show his son that he is supportive.

The front door slams behind him and Craig throws his school bag at the wall with his uninjured hand. He kicks off his shoes leaving them where they fall and stomps angrily into the living room.

Thomas Tucker lowers the newspaper he is currently reading and glances in his son's direction curiously. “I’d pick that stuff up if I were you, before your mom gets home." Then he opens the paper, eyes scanning the article he had been previously reading.

“Are you going take that fucking gay shit off the wall?”

Thomas arches a brow at this statement.

"You two fighting?" 

Craig folds his arms across his chest whining slightly, "what the fuck do you think?" 

Thomas closes his paper, leans forward and puts it on top of the glass coffee table. "Do you want to talk about it?" He half expects Craig to storm out of the room, slamming doors in his wake. Instead his son utters something incoherently before slowly walking into the living room. He stops at the couch, staring at the spot beside his father.

“It will make you feel better."

Craig sits down on the couch, his eyes falling to the beige carpet. He is sulking, chewing on his trembling bottom lip. A full minute stretches by and then another. The air between father and son growing awkward. Craig sniffs and wipes at his face. "Fuck," he mutters under his breath and yet he still doesn't move. Great, just great! He is about to break down in front of his dad.

Thomas, also being a stoic man and not used to dealing with emotional outbursts especially from his indifferent teenage son,decides to start the conversation . "Craig," he begins, "I... I know I haven't always been supportive but... "

Craig groans "he isn't talking to me."

“I see,” Thomas says putting down the paper, “and is there a reason?” He looks at his son eyes falling on the boy’s cradled hand, “and what did you do to your hand?”

Craig shrugs, “I punched a tree.”

Thomas raises an eyebrow at that. He stands, “we should get some ice on that?”

“Don’t bother,” Craig says, “it's fine.”

Thomas ignores his son's protests and walks into the kitchen. Quickly, he walks to the freezer and pulls out an ice pack. “So do you want to tell me why you punched a tree?”

“Nope,” Craig’s monotone voice responds from the other room.

“Oh,” Thomas says. He sighs and then walks back into the room and hands his son the ice pack, “Did you punching a tree have anything to do with why Tweek isn’t talking to you?”

“Kind of,” Craig mumbles as he accepts the ice pack and puts it against his hand. He wiggles his fingers some more and is rewarded with a slight twinge of pain. The bruising has also gone down quite a lot. It is still swollen though, so he puts the ice pack against it.

Craig knows his dad is only trying to help, and he doesn’t really know what else to do but ask for advice, but he doesn’t really know how to. He closes his eyes and decides to just let it all spill out. “Do you remember my friend Thomas?”

“The laundry kid?”

Despite himself, Craig laughs. Of course his dad would remember that Craig used to like to do Thomas’s laundry. 

He shifts slightly, uncomfortable with sharing so much, and then after a momentary pause, he begins his retelling of the day's events. He opens his eyes and stares at the peeling beige paint on the living room wall. “So I haven’t seen him in years like before... you know...” he vaguely moves his right hand in the direction of the yaoi art hanging in the entryway. 

Thomas nods and gives him a curious glance, “Did something happen with this Thomas boy?” 

Craig turns his nervous gaze onto his father, “absolutely not, I would never...” he frowns and then looks back down at the carpet. “Not really anyway,” another sigh. “I may have been unprepared for Thomas showing up at school today.” 

Craig has gone silent again, and Thomas isn’t sure how exactly to address this situation. He thinks he knows where this is going and can only think of one reason why his son’s boyfriend would stop talking to him when an old friend suddenly returned to the picture. He wishes Laura was here. She would be so much better at handling this type of stuff but still, somewhere deep inside, something akin to pride fills him. Craig has actually come to him for advice. 

“Craig, if you made a mistake with this other boy, that’s okay.”

Craig shoots him a dirty look, “No it's not! I am not like you,” he doesn’t even try to mask the disgust in his voice. 

Thomas winces at his son’s words but chooses to ignore them. “So what did happen then?”

Craig is adjusting the ice pack on his hand, “I was...” he stops mid-sentence, searching for the right words, “worried Thomas wouldn’t want to be my friend ‘cause I am...”he trails off, before shrugging helplessly.

“Because you’re gay?” Thomas guesses. 

Craig just nods, “I usually don’t give a fuck what others think,” he clarifies, “but...” he licks his lips nervously as if he doesn’t want to admit the next part, “Thomas was kind of the first... boy…” an awkward cough, “you know... in that way...”

Thomas Tucker’s eyes widened. He had always assumed that his son had only ever had eyes for Tweek. “Well,” he says, “at least the laundry thing makes sense now.”

Craig offers him a thin smile before continuing. “I guess ‘cause of that, I thought he wouldn’t want to be my friend and Tweek kind of mistook that and thought...” his voice drops down to a whisper, “thought I had...” he looks away from the threads he has been counting in the carpet and right at his dad, “he thought I was like you, but I am not.” 

Thomas frowns at that, “so he thinks you cheated on him?”

Craig nods. 

“And he doesn’t believe that you didn’t and now he isn’t talking with you, so you punched a tree?”

Craig shrugs, “something like that.” He sighs miserably. “Except he found out I didn’t fucking cheat on him but he says it doesn’t matter.”

Thomas looks at his son in confusion. “That makes no sense. Are you sure there isn’t another reason?”

Craig drops the ice pack onto the coffee table and then folds his arms across his chest. 

Thomas stares at his boy for a moment waiting for him to explain further but Craig just sits there, a perfect picture of indifference. He scratches his chin before prompting his son further, “and what made Tweek say that?”

Anger flashes in Craig’s eyes, “Kenny Fucking McCormick,” he spits the other boys name out as if it were laced with poison. “He twisted things and now Tweek won’t talk to me.”

Thomas is vaguely familiar with Kenny as he had overheard Red confiding in Craig about him. “I see.” He kind of wants to push the issue further and wants to question his son about the other boy's involvement with his cousin, but he also sees by Craig’s demeanor that now is not the time for that.

“What exactly did Kenny do?”

“Everything,” Craig replies in a dark tone.

“Go on.”

“He filled Tweek’s head with stupid notions.”

Thomas raises a brow at that, “like what, exactly?”

Another long drawn out sigh, and then Craig is looking at his father with one of those are you fucking kidding me, you can’t be this stupid looks he is so famous for. “Other than being a slimy leach who can’t keep his fucking hands to himself?”

Thomas turns and looks at his son. If he didn’t know better, he would think that Craig is the jealous one.

Craig blinks rapidly for a few moments and then returns his gaze to the wall. “Kenny has Tweek convinced I don’t lo...care about him,” Craig’s voice grows panicky at the near slip up.

“Why does Tweek think this?” He chooses his words carefully, sensing that Craig would shut down again if he tries to force him to admit things he isn’t comfortable with.

Craig reaches forward and grabs the ice pack off the table again. He turns it around in his hand studying it. “Because I haven’t done anything inappropriate with him,” his face has turned a colour that resembles that of a boiled lobster, “but like you said, being loves bitch and giving into your emotions is stupid.”

Oh fuck, is all Thomas can think as his son rambles on. He didn’t realise that his panicked attempt at giving him the talk unknowingly caused tension between the two boys. He rubs his hands together and forces a smile on his face. He really didn’t want to be here, but if he didn’t give his son the courage or whatever the fuck he needs to fix this, Laura would never shut up about it. “Well, that depends Craig,” he starts, “on just what you mean by being inappropriate.”

Craig looks at him with wide eyes, shock radiating off his body, “but you said...”

“I know what I said,” Thomas waves off his son's words, “but I may have been a bit too strict in my advice.”

Craig is looking at him with a horrified expression. 

Thomas shifts very uncomfortably, “I meant what I said about how you’re too young for sex, but...”

“Oh my fucking God,” Craig groans hiding his face behind his right hand.

“The fact you’re getting so embarrassed just proves my point.” Thomas is quite proud at how this conversation is going, “and quite frankly, if Tweek is pressuring you...”

Craig is rapidly shaking his head, “No! It's nothing like that! He's just upset that I haven’t....”

“Haven’t what?” Thomas can admit that he is a bit curious. After all, when is the next time his teenage son is going to share so much of himself with his dad? It's like they are bonding. The thought brings a smile to his face. “What haven’t you done that Tweek wants you to do?”

“Kiss him,” Craig clears his throat before continuing, “it's not like I don’t want to but, like you said, I shouldn’t let my emotions guide me.

Thomas shakes his head, “I may have been too hasty before son,” he smiles slightly. “If you want to kiss him, then just kiss him.”

Craig is looking at him like he has some kind of monster growing out of his head. “But you said...”

Thomas reaches out and squeezes his sons shoulder, “I think I overreacted Craig.” he shrugs, “I didn’t want to admit that my little boy was becoming a man so I tried to keep you a child.” He locks eyes with Craig, “I am sorry if anything I said made you doubt your feelings. You shouldn’t hold back when it comes to that kind of stuff...” a brief panicked look falls across his face, “providing its age appropriate.”

Craig just looks at him with an unreadable expression on his face, “so kissing is okay?”

Thomas nods, “yes.”

“Oh,” Craig climbs to his feet, “um, thanks… I guess?”

“No problem kiddo.” Thomas leans forward and picks up the newspaper off the coffee table. He flips to the sports section.

Craig gives his dad one more glance before he starts towards the staircase.

Thomas looks up from the newspaper, “oh, and Craig?”

The boy shifts back and forth in place before turning and looking at his dad again, “what?”

“It’s okay for you to feel things, okay?”

Craig just nods and then starts up the stairs. He can feel his face starting to heat up again as he slowly makes his way to his room. Was it really okay to kiss Tweek? Would it matter anymore now? Would Tweek let him? He looks around the hallway, as if someone was spying on his thoughts and then pushes his bedroom door open.

His room is neat and tidy just as he had left it this morning. He slowly makes his way to the dresser where a framed photo of the two of them sits next to a collection of rainbow hair pins. He drops the ice pack next to the picture. His hand no longer hurts and the swelling is almost gone. There is a slight blue bruise but it looks like its days old and not hours old. He ignores this curious phenomenon and instead turns his attention onto the framed photo.

He studies the photo for a moment. He would never admit this to anyone but it's one of his favourites. It was taken last summer at the beach. Tweek was smiling brightly, sunglasses perched on the top of his messy hair, as he leans towards the camera. Craig stood behind him, his usual look of indifference painted on his face. He had a single arm around Tweek’s waist and the other was held up, so his hand was facing the camera, middle finger out for the world to see.

Face lobster red again, Craig reaches for the photo, his hands shake slightly as he feels the smooth surface of the picture frame beneath his fingertips. He looks around his room and then, when he is confident no one is around, and that Tweek hasn’t sent any of his gnome friends (a thought so ridiculous that Craig smiles despite of himself) to spy on him, he does the most unlikely of things. Craig lifts the picture to his face and then presses his lips against Tweek’s smiling image.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow we are now two chapters away from the end of this story which originally was meant to be way shorter opps😅
> 
> Anyways I want to take the time and explain that Kenny isn’t nearly as bad as Craig thinks he is, his views are based on his own dislike of Kenny, his discomfort with Tweek’s friendship with Kenny and the fact Kenny had a little fling with Red!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Token and Clyde pay Tweek a visit and he makes a confession!
> 
> Additional Note: Tweek is being a bit of an angsty teenager here!! So don’t worry he doesn’t want to hurt himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to Ambercreek95 for proofreading and editing this! This chapter was originally almost 7000 words, so we made it into two chapters!

The room is cast in dark shadows - inky trails of black that cling to every surface of the room like smoke. In the middle of the room, laying on top of his unmade bed, is a certain blond haired aqua eyed boy. Tweek’s eyes are half closed, his face pinched, his hands shaking only slightly as he concentrates. He holds his left hand up above his head with his index finger pointed towards the darkness. The rest of his fingers are folded into his palm, fingernails digging painfully into his skin. Floating just above his index finger is a small crystalized ball.

Tweek has spent the last thirty minutes trying to tap into the same mysterious magical powers that had manifested earlier that day. He knows that this isn’t the best way to deal with his problems and heart ache but it seems to be much more productive than sitting alone in his room and over thinking the fact that he has probably lost Craig forever. Besides, having this mysterious phenomenon as a distraction was also helping to keep the panic at bay.

Even as the thought enters his mind, the crystalized ball starts to disintegrate. Small cracks begin to appear on its surface that snake all along the floating orb until it shatters.

Tweek opens his eyes and stares up at the empty ceiling. The slight wonder that had pushed his darker thoughts away fading as the last fragments of the orb fall away.

He groans and sits up. Almost instantly, tremors override his body. The shaking is both intense and somewhat normal. It's been quite a while since he has had an attack like this and for the first time since this whole awful day has started, the gravity of what Tweek has probably lost when his palm had met Craig’s face overwhelms him.

He feels weak; a slight overbearing feeling that starts at the base of his toes and makes its way up his body. Like poison, it corrodes through his flesh and entwines with his thoughts.

His head hurts, his mind spinning as he tries to block out the memory of Craig’s impassive face. He had only wanted some kind of reaction out of the stoic boy. Some kind of indication that he still mattered. Sure, Craig had been pleading- begging- for his forgiveness but only because he had a guilty conscience. It’s not like the other actually cares about Tweek; needs him, craves him like Tweek craves him.

He shudders, and then as the pain grows to be too much, emanating in a stabbing sensation at the base of his skull, the whispers begin.

Tweek isn’t sure if he is losing his mind or if it’s only his own self-doubts taking shape in the guise of green monsters. His own personal demons feeding on the doubts and fears only his paranoid mind could conjure.

Like earlier in the day, the monsters form. They float all around him, their green skin glowing iridescent in the blackness. Unlike earlier, these monsters are shapeless; more like vapors of green than solid gnome like. They are basically smoke- green smoke that chokes him and delights in the pain that their whispering induces.

He tries to ignore them. Tries to ignore the truths in their lies. The flavoured angst that they are serving up on a golden platter.

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block out their voices but it’s no use. They slither all around him, coiling and uncoiling. Vapors releasing their toxins into the atmosphere. Their repeated murmurs all have a single centre theme. Craig doesn’t love him. Couldn’t possibly love him. Not the way he wants him too. 

Tweek slaps his hands against his ears shaking his head and yet, still he can’t block out the sound of his own mind.

“Ngh- Shut up- shut up- shut up,” he pleads.

Finally there is silence and Tweek is left alone in the dark. The green eyed monsters have disappeared and taken their smoke like cousins with them. All though they are gone, their truths still remain - Craig is still gone.

Slowly, Tweek curls in on himself rocking back and forth. His breathing is too fast and shallow and he knows he is on the brink of a panic attack. The world feels like it’s closing all around. There is no air, no substance. He is choking on his own stupid fears and he can’t breathe, can’t live! Without Craig, he just can’t…..

The feelings of dread intensify. He can feel his entire body tense up. He is standing at the end, far too close to a full break down. Like he was an acrobat teetering over the edge of a high wire and there is no one left to save him.

He hasn’t just lost Craig, but his friends too because they were Craig’s friends first so why-

Tweek doesn’t get to finish that thought as three loud bangs pull him from his thoughts. He blinks rapidly, not even aware of the crystalized tears that are falling freely from his red rimmed eyes.

Another loud bang which Tweek realizes is a knock just as his door opens. He is too emotionally exhausted to even react to the thousands of warnings flashing through his mind. He stares numbly awaiting the fate he surely deserves.

He isn’t expecting the bringers of the apocalypse to be Clyde shaped.

Clyde bounces into the room far too cheerful for Tweek’s teenage angst, but before he can react and tell the other to go away, Token follows Clyde into Tweek’s room causing Tweek’s eyes to widen and stare at his ex-friends.

“Gah! What are you guys doing here?”

Clyde's smile is too large and obviously forced. He looks as if he is on the brink of tears but is really trying his hardest to put on a brave face. He sniffles once at Tweek’s harsh words and then he is rushing forward until he is falling onto the other boy,pushing him backwards as he envelopes the trembling blonde in his arms. 

“Please don’t leave us,” Clyde is openly weeping now, clinging to Tweek’s shocked form.

“Gah! What?!”

Token still stands awkwardly in the doorway. He offers Tweek a slight smile. “Clyde is convinced you are dropping us all.”

Tweek can barely process what Token is saying and Clyde is still practically sitting on him. What would Craig say if he saw his best friend? He doesn’t mean for it to happen but the moment the thought of Craig enters his mind Tweek finally breaks down. The impossibility of Clyde and Token being here, combined with the fact that their presence must mean it’s truly over between him and Craig, is too much. He clings to Clyde who is clinging to him, both of them sobbing into the other.

Token sighs as he enters the room and walks slowly to the two crying boys. It’s not so much the fact that he isn’t prepared to take on the emotional burdens of the group. After all, he does it all the time. It’s more that he isn’t sure how to fix the fracture left by Craig’s absence.

Gently, he sits beside the other two and reaches out, placing his right hand on Tweek’s back. He gently starts to rub small soothing circles onto the blonds back.

“Tweek, we want you to know no matter what happens.”

Clyde interrupts him as he detangles himself from Tweek, “we won’t let you stop being our friend just ‘cause your boyfriend is an idiot!” Clyde wipes at his eyes and offers Tweek a small grin. “We sent Jimmy to deal with cranky pants.” 

“Clyde,” Token warns at Clyde’s mention of Craig. He can sense Tweek’s barely held back panic and he isn’t sure that they would be able to talk him down- that has always been Craig’s specialty even before the two had started dating. Tweek had always leaned on the stoic boy more so than anyone. But Craig isn’t here now, and is in fact the reason for Tweek and, to a lesser extent, Clyde’s states. Token sighs and continues to rub Tweek’s back, unsure of what else he can do.

Clyde ignores Token's look of disapproval before turning his attention back onto Tweek. “So don’t you go thinking Jimmy doesn’t care about you either because he does!” He folds his arms across his chest and gives Tweek a pointed look. “We all do, we…” and then he is crying again.

Token nods confirming Clyde’s statements. He ignores Clyde’s outbursts only having the emotional energy to deal with one of the boys.

Tweek stares at them in disbelief, “but what about Cr-”

Token shakes his head, “Honestly, I can’t tell you how he feels. Only that...” He pauses for a moment, trying to compose his words. “I have known Craig for a long time and I have never seen him more distraught.”

Clyde is nodding his head in agreement. “That’s right. Craig’s never put that much effort into anything before. I know you…” Clyde trails off.

Tweek wipes at his eyes and stares at his friends, slowly taking in their words.

Tokens voice is so comforting. “What Clyde’s trying to say is that it may not seem like it right now, but Craig cares a lot about you.”

Tweek lowers his eyes to the floor, “no, he doesn’t.”

“Come on Tweek, you honestly don’t believe those rumors, do you?” Clyde asks.

Tweek shrugs, “Ngh- no but he…” he can feel his skin flushing and he silently curses Craig for still having such power over him. 

Both boys are looking at him, curiosity radiating off of them. Clyde’s sorrow and grief over the rift in the group suddenly forgotten.

“What did Craig do?” Token asks gently.

Tweek shifts nervously, “it’s not what he did, but what he didn’t do,” he confesses.

Token and Clyde exchange looks, “what didn’t Craig do?” Clyde asks.

Tweek’s entire body feels warm and he knows the other two boys can sense his embarrassment. Ironically, just when it looks like it’s all ending, he actually is having a conversation about his relationship with his friends. He swallows down his shame and discomfort. It’s not so much his own feelings he is ashamed about, but what the other two boys will think of Craig and him if they knew the truth. He knows that they are both straight and that they accept him but there is a big difference between accepting someone and actually given intimate details or, in Tweek’s case, the lack of intimate details. He is worried that the other two boys will judge him, hate him even, if they knew just how much he wanted to kiss Craig.

“Tweek, you know you can tell us anything, right?” It’s as if Token had read his mind.

Clyde is nodding. He gives Tweek another half hug. “We want to help you and Craig”

Warmed by the love his friends are giving him (and because screw what the monsters whisper- they aren’t just Craig’s friends), Tweek decides to be brave.

He allows himself to be hugged for a full moment more before he pulls away from Clyde and climbs to his feet. He stands there for a second trying to decipher his thoughts and put into words just what he wants.

“Do you think it’s possible?” He nearly chokes on the words.

“I do” Token says.

“We can totally play, like, super spies and send Jimmy coded messages,” Clyde proclaims in an excited whisper.

“You know, I think Clyde may be onto something,” Token says softly. 

Tweek turns and looks at Token, “what do you mean?!”

“Well,” Token starts, “if us and Jimmy can – for lack of a better word – play you and Craig against each other, but like, not in a bad way,” he pauses to better shape his thoughts, “we could find out what you both need,” he further explains, “and then let you both know so you can get past this.” He shrugs, “it’s just a thought.”

“Token, you are a genius!” Clyde exclaims. He pulls his cell phone out of his jacket pocket, flips it open and starts to aggressively type. “I am sending Jimmy a message.”

“What do you say, Tweek?”

Tweek muses it over for a second. It would mean he would have to fully open up and that is such a scary thought, not to mention a lot of pressure… but isn’t Craig worth it?

He wets his lips and turns his body away from his friends just in case his earlier fears were right. He closes his eyes and allows the confession to spill out of him. “I want Craig to... to... to,” his heart is drumming chaotically as the last words, the most important words fall from his lips, “kiss me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with me and waiting this long to for the next chapter of this story! There are now only two more chapters left and chapter 11 is written!! I will be posting it in a few days!! 
> 
> I wasn’t originally happy with how these two chapters turned out and that is partly why it took so long!
> 
> The last chapter will be pure fluff!


	11. The plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jimmy is tasked with getting information out of Craig.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thanks goes to Ambercreek95 for beta reading and editing this chapter! I so appreciate the hard work you do on most of my fics:)

Jimmy discreetly looks down at his phone while Craig is tending to Stripe. He had shown up at the Tucker residence thirty minutes prior. For his part, Craig hadn’t seemed that surprised to see him and had merely shrugged and moved aside to allow Jimmy entrance into his house.

Jimmy frowns as he stares down at his phone. He has just gotten a number of texts from Clyde outlining the plan. He has to admit, it is ambitious and he isn’t sure how well it will work. It’s easy for Token and Clyde to get information from Tweek but for them to expect him to get Craig of all people to open up… Jimmy wants to laugh. His friends should have asked him to lasso the moon. It would have been an easier task. Yet as he glances around Craig’s room and notices all the pieces of himself Tweek has left behind, Jimmy can’t help but wonder if the impossible just might be possible.

Quickly he types okay to Clyde and then pockets his phone just as Craig turns around.

Craig studies Jimmy. The other is perched on the edge of Craig’s computer chair. He is smiling wide, and his eyes keep darting around the room. Suspicious, very suspicious. He also keeps checking his cell phone which in itself isn’t suspicious, except he is obviously trying to hide the fact that he is checking it from Craig.

Craig narrow his eyes as he watches Jimmy once again pull his phone out and then look down at it. Jimmy’s eyes widen and he shakes his head, “how the hell am I supposed to bring that up?” He murmurs to himself before he starts typing up a reply.

Craig watches for a few more seconds before voicing the one question that had been floating around in his head since Jimmy had arrived.

“Where are Token and Clyde?”

Jimmy’s phone drops from his hands and he looks at Craig with an ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ expression on his face.

Craig walks briskly over to where Jimmy is sitting. He stands directly in front of his friend who isn’t even making an attempt to pick up his phone. Craig knows it’s not because Jimmy needs help. Jimmy is very self-reliant and actually gets quite annoyed if his friends try to baby him too much. No, Jimmy is making a very deliberate statement about not getting his phone, almost as if he is trying to say the phone is of little importance to him.

It only takes Craig a second to make a decision; he glances over at Jimmy one last time before he bends over to pick up his friend's phone. It’s just when his fingers fall across the cold metal of the fallen object that Jimmy’s way too nervous voice fills the air.

“I-is this some kind of homo- homosex-gay mating dance?” Jimmy’s words fall out of his mouth in a rushed manner. The joke itself, although lame like most of Jimmy’s jokes, doesn’t quite hold the same Jimmy quality punch.

Craig stands, not acknowledging the others attempt at humour and instead stares down at the object in his hand. It’s a brand new iPhone SE. Not the latest model, like Tokens, but still a pretty decent model. The phone is black, and it is protected by the Raisins phone case that Clyde had gotten for Jimmy for his fourteenth birthday.

Jimmy is trying desperately not to react to the fact Craig is holding his phone. Their entire plan can go up in flames if Craig learned they were meddling, but on the other hand, if Craig knew what Clyde and Token were up to, it may be easier to get the answers they need.

He wets his lips and forces his gaze away from his phone. Then with a deep breath puts the rest of their plan into motion.

“Don’t g-get mad…”

Craig’s expression darkens and Jimmy shudders slightly as he sinks further back into the computer chair.

“About what?” Craig demands. He lifts his eyes away from the phone and is instead staring at Jimmy, rage boiling just under the surface of his gaze.

Jimmy holds his hands out in front of his face as a way to ward off Craig’s anger. “We’re just trying to help- s-s-so- C-Clyde and Token are...”

Realization dawns on him and with it, his anger drains away. “Of course,” he says more to himself than Jimmy, “they’re with Tweek.”

Jimmy silently nods and offers Craig a weak smile.

Craig sighs. He turns from Jimmy and takes the few steps it takes to get from his computer desk to his bed. He sits on the edge of his bed and looks at Jimmy. “Why would I be mad about that?” he shrugs.

Jimmy scratches the back of his head in confusion. “Well, you know… ‘cause bros b-before hoes,” his eyes go wide, “n-no-not that we think Tweek is a hoe or that we -one of them- err - no one is trying to-“

“Jimmy, relax.” Craig’s monotone demands, “Tweek is also your friend so it only makes sense you would check up on him.” He pauses for a moment, “besides, I…” his voice wavers slightly, “I am relieved that you guys are worried about him.”

Jimmy nods. “Clyde especially wanted him to know that we still consider him our friend even if...” a shrug, “well, you know...”

Craig frowns at that. “I'm not giving up,” he doesn’t mean for it to come out sounding anything more than just a statement but by the look Jimmy is giving him, he knows he has failed in his attempt to suppress his emotions.

Jimmy isn’t quite sure what to say to that, but then his phone, which Craig is still holding, beeps indicating that he has gotten another message.

Craig looks down at the phone and then back at Jimmy. “Why is Clyde messaging you so much?”

Jimmy would usually make a cheeky remark or joke about Craig being a nosy Nancy but he can tell that Craig wouldn’t react well to humour at the moment. He holds his hand out indicating he wants his phone back. “Well that’s the part you may get mad about but if you let me answer that...” a shrug, “I can fill you in on Clyde’s little plan.” It's not lost on Jimmy that by name dropping Clyde, that he is pretty much throwing their friend under the bus.

Craig looks down at the phone, then back at Jimmy and then back at the phone.

“Spill or else.” He quickly types in Jimmy’s password unlocking his friend's phone. It's not like Craig cares about proper etiquette or other people's privacy. Besides, he is pretty positive that whatever Clyde is up to involves Craig.

Oh fuck! Jimmy had momentarily forgotten that Craig doesn’t give a fuck about what others think and would have zero qualms about invading Jimmy’s privacy if it he suspected that Jimmy had information that Craig needed. “Clyde has this idea,” he starts.

“What idea?” Craig still holds the unlocked phone in his hands but he hasn’t looked at the messages yet. He hasn’t seen a reason to do so, not with Jimmy talking after all.

Jimmy looks helpless like he is waging an internal war. Finally, he lets out a breath and then wiggles his fingers. “Give me my phone so I can answer Clyde and then I will tell you everything… hell, I’ll even open a group chat so you can participate in the messages if you want.”

It takes Craig half a second before he passes the phone back to Jimmy. “Spill”

Jimmy nods, obviously relieved. “Clyde thought that if we get you to tell me what is bothering you, then maybe we can help by letting Tweek know and vice versa.”

Anger flickers in Craig's eyes for a brief moment but then reason sets in. He can see the logic of the plan (and is briefly shocked that someone like Clyde thought it up).

“Fine what do you want to know?”

Jimmy is staring at the photos of stripe hanging on Craig’s bedroom wall. In every single photo, Stripe is wearing some kind of costume or little hat. Jimmy knows Craig took them as they were a part of an assignment for one of their classes last year. He has seen these photos numerous times and yet he is staring at them like Craig had just taken them and tacked them onto the wall. His eyes focus in on the largest of the three photos; a glossy print of Stripe wearing a pirate hat. Craig had set up a few lego style toy cars (which Jimmy is sure belong to Tweek) in the background of the photo so it looks like Stripe was gigantic and destroying the town.  
Jimmy clears his throat, “you never did tell us the mo-mot-motivation for that particular picture.”

Craig looks over at the picture that Jimmy now finds so fascinating. Sometimes his friends would do this when they wanted to ask Craig something they know he won’t answer. Well, not Clyde but Clyde lacks common sense or any type of logic. “Stripe the second was the guinea pirate that tried to take over the world,” Craig says in his usual emotionless voice.

Jimmy’s eyes widen at that little bit of information. ”Oh,” is all he can really think to say, given the fact Craig had just admitted his old beloved pet was actually an evil shape shifting guinea pig monster being.

Craig’s eyes darken at Jimmy’s response. “Don’t just ‘oh’ me,” he says in a huff.

Jimmy shrugs and offers his friend a slight smile. Craig’s dad had a habit of oh-ing his son and it drives Craig crazy. All of their friends know this. “Sorry… So it’s okay if I a-ask you a personal question?”

Craig gives him his trademark ‘let’s get this fucking over with’ look, “that’s why you’re here.”

Jimmy shifts slightly in the computer chair, his right leg is starting to cramp but he doesn’t want to stand up and stretch his legs out in the fear that any sudden movements would cause Craig to close himself off again.

Craig is growing impatient with this silly game that his friends seem to want to play. He has better things to do then answer some dumb question- like kiss the photo of Tweek he has hidden under his pillow. It’s not creepy, it's just his way of practicing!

After another minute of silence, Jimmy realizes that Craig just isn’t going to hand over the information they so desperately want. He stretches out his one cramping leg in front of him in a way to relax the aching muscles.

“Remember, this was Clyde’s idea so…”

Craig rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll kill Clyde not you.”

Jimmy nods at the reassurance. “Right so… um…” he looks down at his phone and the texts Clyde had sent.

Clyde: **They haven’t kissed!** 😳  
Clyde: **why hasn’t Craig kissed Tweek?**   
Clyde: **WTF is wrong with Tucker?!?!!?!**  
Clyde: **Oh god don’t tell him I said that! Craig will kill me!**  
Clyde: **Jimmy hello?**

Jimmy has to laugh at Clyde’s frantic panicked texts. If it wasn’t for the fact he had seen some of Tweek’s, he would assume the blond had gotten a hold of Clyde’s phone.

“Well?” Craig demands.

Oh yeah, Jimmy is supposed to somehow ask Craig why he hasn’t claimed Tweek’s lips as his own, without pissing Craig off. Yes, this will be so easy.

So Jimmy does what Jimmy does best, “so there was this super cranky pants boy and he was dating this super adorable but p-par- anxious cutie pie… and…”

“What the fuck are you on about ?” Craig growls in frustration, cutting off Jimmy’s lame joke, “and I am not grumpy!” he adds on for good measure.

“Sure you’re not,” Jimmy says under his breath. Craig chooses to ignore the quip. Jimmy wets his dry lips and then blurts it out. “Okay, so Tweek says you’ve never kissed him.”

Oh… Craig was not expecting this line of questioning. He turns his face away from Jimmy’s probing gaze before the other boy can see the color blooming across his cheek bones and the tip of his nose. He shrugs his shoulders, trying to act natural and like this whole line of questioning does not bother him.

“It just hadn’t come up.” It’s a bold face lie, but what the fuck do they expect? For Craig to pour his heart out? That’s not fucking happening.

“Tweek says you rejected him when he tried to kiss you?”

“I had a cold,” Craig answers lamely.

“Why didn’t you try afterwards?” Jimmy is actually looking at him now. His curious gaze probing Craig’s face for any signs that the other boy isn’t being honest.

Another shrug, and a sigh. “I don’t… why does this matter?”

Now it’s Jimmy’s turn to look at Craig like he has grown another head. “Tweek thinks it matters.”

Well fuck. Jimmy has a point there. Would it really make things worse if he just opened up a tiny bit? Craig bites his bottom lip as he thinks about it in a logical way. It’s true he hates talking about his emotions and this whole thing sucks and it’s none of his friends business but on the other hand if it’s directly coming from Tweek - Tweek who he fucked things up with so badly because he couldn’t just be like a normal person and tell him how he feels. Fuck it, Craig thinks.

“This will be the only time we talk about this,” he wants to make it crystal clear that this won’t become a normal thing.

Jimmy nods. “We know you’ve got a reputation of being a grumpy robot to protect.”

Craig shoots him a look that in all honestly would be powerful enough to kill if such things as looks killing actually existed.

“So why haven’t you p-p-puckered up and…” Jimmy makes a kissy noise and directs it in Craig’s attention.

“Fuck, you’re annoying.”

“I am not the one whose relationship is…”

“Fine! Fine, whatever,” Craig says in a huff, “it’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just…” another shrug.

Jimmy says nothing and just continues to look at him.

Craig gets up off his bed and walks to his bedroom window and looks out of it. “It was my dad, okay!”

Jimmy’s voice is full of confusion, “because he was homophobic at first?”

Craig shakes his head. No, fuck that! If that was the issue, I’d kiss….” he stops talking for a moment, realizing what he was about to admit. The ever darkening color that is currently staining his cheeks red has spread to the back of his neck and his ears.

Jimmy hasn’t said anything at that little admission, but he can see through the windows reflection that Jimmy is typing something furiously on his phone.

Craig feels uneasy. Like by just sharing this little bit of information, he has opened himself up to ridicule. Logically he knows there is no basis for his feelings and that he is being ‘dramatic’ but this whole day has been nothing but a whirlwind of emotions. The entire day Craig has spent outside of his comfort zone. He closes his eyes and leans his burning face against the cool glass of his window.

“My dad had a talk with me about inappropriate moments.” He knows he’s probably not making any sense but he has already divulged too much.

“And how they can lead to…” he doesn’t want to be having this conversation with his friends. He doesn’t want to admit that he not only wants to kiss Tweek, but that he has thought of doing those very inappropriate things his dad worries about.

“So...” he continues, “I decided not to be love’s bitch.”

Jimmy has stopped typing into his phone his message to Clyde only half finished. “and what exactly do you mean by all that?”

A frustrated sigh, “I just don’t want to go to jail man.”

“Jail?” Jimmy’s eyebrows arch upwards in confusion.

Craig nods and finally turns and looks at Jimmy. The comedian is tempted to take a photo to show Tweek just how much Craig is blushing.

“It’s not that I don’t want to kiss him. Trust me, I do… but kissing leads to more inappropriate things...”

Whatever the fuck Thomas Tucker told his son really did a number on Craig, Jimmy muses as he quickly erases everything he just typed and writes in big letters. **His dad told him some bullshit story about going to jail if he kissed Tweek cause it may lead to inappropriate things, whatever the fuck that means!!!** He reads over his text and then after a moment decides to add to it. **I think he’s talking about sex??** Then Jimmy hits send. Whatever Tweek chooses to do with that information or even how much of it Clyde even shares isn’t really his issue. It’s not that he doesn’t care about his friends' relationship and it’s not that he is some square who can’t talk about such a topic but Craig is Craig and even getting this much out of him is a miracle. So ignoring the ‘other things’ for now, Jimmy cautiously approaches the rest of the ‘kissing’ problem.

“So what are you going to do?”

Craig’s entire face turns red at the question - like beet red… no, lobster red… Jimmy starts laughing despite the seriousness of the topic.

“Nice to see the fact that my relationship is falling apart is amusing to you,” Craig deadpans, which he of course follows up with the appearance of his middle finger.

Jimmy is laughing so hard that tears are falling from his eyes. He wipes at them. “It’s just that your face is so red that you look like one of Pennywise’s balloons. I just,” more laughter, “can picture one of those balloons chasing Tweek and s-saying in a mock Fr-Freddy Kruger voice...pucker up baby… and then Tweek runs from you screaming...” Jimmy is now laughing so hard he is leaning forward in his seat.

“I hate you so fucking much!” But despite the insistence of this hate, Craig is smiling slightly, “are we done? ‘cause as much as I love being the butt of your lame ass jokes, I have stuff to do.”

Like what? Sit in your room pouting because Tweek won’t talk to you? Jimmy almost asks but he knows he’s already pushed Craig as far as he can today. He pulls himself out of the chair ignoring how his legs scream in protest because of how long he had been sitting. He grabs his crutches which we’re leaning against the wall and slowly makes his way towards Craig’s door.  
He stops at the doors threshold before turning and looking at Craig, “if it was me, I would just kiss him,” and then before Craig can kill him for implying he would kiss Tweek, Jimmy waves with one hand and then crosses the doors threshold.

“Asshole!” Craig calls after him but his voice twists with affection, ”you try it and I’ll...”

“You still on for Mario Kart Sunday?” Jimmy calls back.

Craig smirks, “like I would miss a chance to kick your ass.”

“In your dreams Tucker,” and then he is starting down the hallway.

Craig waits till he hears the sound of the front door slamming shut behind Jimmy before he grabs his phone off of his dresser.

He stares down at it for a moment in indecision before dialing Clyde’s number. As he waits for his best friend (who isn’t Tweek) to pick up, he questions his sanity. Craig is about to hang up and forget that he was ever tempted to do this stupid and illogical thing when Clyde answers.

“Holy shit dude, why are you calling me?” The others voice is muffled and he is whispering. Craig can hear running water in the background. Either Clyde is in the shower or he snuck into the Tweak’s bathroom and turned on the faucet in an effort to hide the fact that he is talking to Craig.

“What the fuck are you doing? Taking a fucking shower?”

“Do you want Tweek to find out I am talking with you? You’re going to ruin everything!”

Craig rolls his eyes at Clyde’s stupidity, “am I on speaker phone?”

Craig imagines Clyde shaking his head before answering, “no, but dude he will know and get all panicky and, and, and….”

Craig sighs in frustration. God, Clyde is so stupid sometimes, “he probably won’t care if you are talking to me. After all, wasn’t he telling you stuff to tell Jimmy to ask me about?”

Clyde is quiet for a moment, and then the sound of the water disappears, “oh yeah... about that…”

“What the fuck did you do?”

A shaky laugh, “I had the brilliant idea to just let Tweek read the messages and…”

Fuck! Clyde is such a fucking idiot. Craig is getting a headache. He can feel the pain radiating just behind his eyes. He let’s out a puff of air between his teeth trying to calm himself. “And?”

Clyde swallow nervously. “Um, he was a bit freaked out by the other stuff… you know, the whole going to jail because of sexy times stuff…”

Craig’s eyed widen at that. “What the fuck did Jimmy write?” He remembers his friends lame attempts at jokes and wants to melt into his bed and completely disappear. Just great, now Tweek probably thinks he some sex crazed maniac out to deflower him or something. He can feel his face heat up again at that last intrusive thought.

“And Tweek is all paranoid that you’re going to end up in jail and it will be his fault and you will hate him and then the gnomes will take him away to be their coffee slave.” Clyde is saying as he tries to retell Tweek’s earlier barely coherent rambles.

“Wait, what!?” Craig should have known his boyfriend would have gotten stuck on the jail stuff:

“Tweek freaked out ‘cause the part about you going to jail and…”

Craig makes a dismissive motion with his free hand even though Clyde can’t see him. “That’s not important... So, he’s, um, no longer mad at me?” He bites down on his bottom lip and is suddenly nervous, “should I maybe go over there?” He doesn't like the way his voice sounds or the fact that his heart is beating way too fast for such a normal idea.

“Oh, he’s still super pissed but he doesn’t want to break up with you anymore. You should probably give him the weekend to calm down...” Clyde sounds too confident about this to be misreading the situation but still, as already established, Clyde is an idiot.

“And you know this how?” Craig is trying so hard not to show how much this one little answer is affecting him.

“Because he said you may be an emotionless robot but you’re his emotionless robot. But then he kind of got all huffy cause you don’t tell him stuff that you should. Like, if you would have told him how you feel, then maybe he wouldn’t be freaking out. Then he started ranting about how you should just kiss him already! And I agree with him because honestly, if you’re going to go to jail then shouldn’t you get a kiss out of it? And I even told Tweek that but then he started freaking out. Something about you going to jail and something about gnomes making him make them coffee” Clyde’s answers. His words are all jumbled together and Craig can barely make any sense of them.

Craig probably should have just called Token (or Tweek himself, a little voice in his head quips) but Token would know and talking to Tweek about this when he doesn’t know what’s going on with the other is just too risky.

“Oh okay, so just leave him alone?” He hates that he has to rely on his friends instead of just asking Tweek directly.

“Just a second,” and then Clyde is gone. Craig can still hear the constant drip drip drip of what he presumes is the sink. This leads Craig to conclude two things; one, that Clyde probably didn’t shut the water off all the way and two, Clyde left his phone in the bathroom. Before Craig can get angry with Clyde just not bring his phone with him and maybe giving it to Tweek so Tweek can tell him these things himself, Clyde is back.

“He says you better text him goodnight later tonight like you usually do but yeah, he doesn’t want to see you till Monday. He’s super pissed you didn’t tell him about your dad talking to you.”

“Okay and thanks I guess...” He hangs up before Clyde can respond. He is slightly concerned that Tweek doesn’t want to see or talk to him (other than their nightly good night texts). Logically, he can see where Tweek is coming from. Craig did tell him he wasn’t responsible for his mental health which thinking back, although true, is a very horrible thing to say. He will apologize again for that. Honestly, he feels slightly relieved that he doesn’t have to worry about calming Tweek down because the thing his boyfriend is freaking out about is super embarrassing. He knows he needs to communicate things with Tweek more but honesty how the fuck is he supposed to discuss this with his boyfriend without admitting he finds the idea of eventually doing some of that stuff quite appealing. He usually shuts his thoughts down when they lead him in that direction. After all, those thoughts are inappropriate but Tweek makes him feel things he honestly thought he was incapable of feeling.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note about all my fics but especially this one: I am going to be participating in Creek week this year. So that means starting today I am switching my focus to working on the fics for Creek week!
> 
> So I am going try and get the last chapter of this fic ‘Green eyed monsters ‘ finished as fast as possible! However, it may not be updated till the end of October/early November! I plan on going back to this once I have a few creek week fics finished!
> 
> I am also working on the next story in my pandemic special series which may or may not be finished before Creek week!
> 
> So basically all my fics will be on hold until I can finish the Creek week fics! Regarding ‘the lava’ fic I do have two more chapters written so i may post them! I have to edit them still so it depends on time constraints.. I hope you all understand!!


	12. Late night phone calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig talks with a old friend about his situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning Not edited.

Craig stares up at the black sky. A bloated silver moon sits amongst the spattering of twinkling stars. Craig’s gaze lingers on the stars for a moment before settling on the moon. The glass panes from his bedroom window are slightly dirty making the moon's image appear streaked with grey. Craig pulls the sleeve of his NASA t-shirt over his hand and uses it to spread the dust particles across the window, all in a failed attempt to rid the Moon of those grey specks.

It is late Sunday night, and Craig knows he should go to sleep. Monday and all the anxieties it brings is slowly encouraging closer, and, yet, he can’t even fathom the concept of sleep right now. So he just stares up at his old faithful friend the moon. The moon has never let Craig down in the past. It has never judged him, nor has it given unwanted advice. It has always just been a solid presence in the sky- a calming presence, a special confidant.

Craig takes a long drawn out breath, and then with it releases the dark fears coiling in his stomach. He stares up at the night sky and addresses his most faithful friend. 

“I am scared,” he admits. He can feel the fear swirling all around him and for one frightening moment he fears that even the Moon will fall from the vastness of the night and he would truly be alone. 

A moment's pause, and when nothing happens but the twinkling of a few stars ,perhaps sent by the moon to encourage him to go on, Craig continues, “what if i can’t fix this?” He runs his hands through his straight ebony locks brushing his hair out of his eyes as his gaze lingers on the moon’s rounded surface. “I fucked everything up and I don’t really know how to fix things..”

The Moon doesn’t answer, it never does, and yet Craig feels just a bit better as the words continue to fall from him, “I know what I want to do, what I should do, but would….” He pauses mid sentence and turns away from the Moon. 

The sky won’t give him the answers he needs and even if the moon could speak, it isn’t the one who he should be communicating with.

His hands shake as he lifts his phone off of the top of his dresser. The framed photograph of Tweek and him sitting right beside his phone mocks him. He turns the photo upside down so he won’t have to look at it. It makes the nervous -anxious feeling in his stomach twist worse every time he sees it. 

He turns from his dresser and moves to his bed. He plops down on top of his blue striped quilt. His gaze automatically focuses on the glowing space decals on his ceiling. Their constant presence in his life usually provides him with comfort but now they almost seem malevolent in the way they glow above his head. It's like they are spying on him, the thought of which is so crazy it brings a strained smile to Craig’s lips. He could imagine the way Tweek’s eyes would light up and the way he would stare up at the ceiling with one eye shut as he examined the decals. He can almost hear Tweek high pitched adorable voice laced with conspiracy. Gah, it's the gnomes Craig, they replaced the decals I gave you. Craig laughs to himself as the imaginary Tweek in his head continues to ignore all logic and rant about the powers of decal stealing gnomes.

The whole thing just makes his heart hurt. He sighs exhaling his misery,and lifts up his phone. He taps the screen of his android awakening it from cellar sleep. His thumb sweeps across the sticker of stripe Tweek specialty had made for him when Craig had first gotten his phone. 

He has no new messages, he didn’t think he would, but not for the first time in the last two days a foolish hope had taken a hold of him, the hope that Tweek had magically forgiven all. 

It's not like Tweek hasn’t texted him all weekend, but his messages had been bare bones- barely more than a good night. Tonight hadn’t been an exception. The simple, “well Good night.” Tweek had sent him had sent his stupid heart hurling towards impossibilities, but he needed, wanted, craved more.

Things were still so unknown. He remembers even a week ago how they had spent all day and night texting until Tweek snuck into his room and had remained safely in his arms. Until the crack of dawn had sent the blond scrambling out the window before they were caught. 

But ever since this whole mess had started and jealousy's green eyes had taken a hold of his boyfriend’s heart, Craig had to learn to exist in a world without Tweek. A measly good night text is his only refuge from the constant nothingness that has taken the place of his heart. 

His lack of communication stemmed from his desire to stay logical and not give into the inappropriateness of his emotions is what has gotten Craig into this mess. Fuck it, he thinks. Fuck this whole thing- Fuck this fragile line he had created and is about to break. He’s gonna blow this whole concept of logic and the bullshit his father Imprinted into his head- he’s going blow it to fucking hell and back. He picks up his phone, finds Tweek’s contact and begins to type.

We need to talk!

He doesn’t mean to be so blunt- so straight forward- but it's so hard to drop his logical side completely.

Tweek’s response is immediate, almost as if he had been waiting all night for Craig to grow some balls and contact him.

Okay.

It's a simple word, it literally means nothing, and yet it means so much. Craig can feel the hole in heart that is Tweek shaped begin to shrink. 

He writes and rewrites his reply at least five times before he sends it. 

Are we okay?

He feels both proud of himself and terrified at Tweek’s answer. A minute passes by and then another and yet another, five whole agonizing minutes past before Tweek’s response is staring back at him. He blinks down at it as he reads it. It wasn’t necessarily bad, right? But then again it's not good either. He wants to to hit his head against the wall in frustration- maybe give himself a concussion so he doesn’t remember what love feels like- but then that would be stupid. Logically Tweek wasn’t breaking up with him. He just didn’t give a solid answer- he didn’t tell him everything was okay and Craig had nothing to worry about. 

I don’t know.

The words blink at him as if they have their own evil intentions. As if the circular currents between their devices had scrambled Tweek’s words and rearranged them in a way to squeeze the most hurt out of Craig. 

He stares down at them, willing them to change into something more hopeful and yet the longer he stares the longer and more concrete they become. Tweek really doesn’t know if they can fix things. What hope does Craig have? What insurance does he have that this is all worth it. 

Clyde had told him that Tweek didn’t want to talk to him, that texting Good night was the only form of communication he wanted all weekend, and Craig had been patient and given Tweek the space he needed. 

Dull green eyes fall onto the digital alarm clock that sits on his night stand 1: 20 am. Craig really should go to bed considering he has to get up for school in a few hours, he really should ignore the voice in his head telling him to be damned with logic 

He quickly dials Tweek’s number pushing his phone against his ear so hard it kind of hurts. He half expects Tweek not to answer.

“Hello,” his boyfriend's voice sounds raw- like he had spent the entire weekend crying. The realization makes Craig’s heart twist. 

“I know you said to not call you but…”

“Its okay,”

The relief that Craig feels as Tweek confirms that calling him was the right thing to do is indescribable. He can feel the gap between them closing. That this one simple action somehow entwines them both into the muses grasp. His left index finger tingles almost as if he can feel the red string of fate looping around his skin. He clutches his phone closer to his face, and asks the one question he should have when this whole mess started.

“How can I make this okay?”

There is a loud intake of breath on the other side and then Tweek’s beautiful slightly shaky voice, “I … “

Craig closes his eyes. Even now in the privacy of his own room he can feel the awkwardness of emotions bearing down on him. He wets his dry lips and forces the words out-dislodging his fears alongside them. “I don’t want to lose you.” A pause. He opens his eyes and stares up at those decals. They are no longer ominous. Their glow now represents hope, and the longer Craig stares at them the more he feels the courage grow inside of him.

“I really just ,” another slight breath, “ i just want to be with you, Tweek.”

This is probably the most emotionally raw Craig has ever been in the course of their relationship - he just hopes it will be enough. Hopes Tweek will see through his rough exterior.

Tweek is quiet for a moment and then in one great rush his words tumble out. “ I want that too but I’m not sure that I believe that you do!”

Craig shakes his head even though tweek can not see the action. His body starts to heat up as a slight flush creeps across his skin,“That is not true, honey.”

“Gah! I just feel that you and I, we aren’t on the same page Craig.” Tweeks words are like a dagger to Craig’s heart. 

“I… don’t understand.”

A sigh, “Maybe you just like the idea of me- but don't actually want to be with me.. not in the way i want.”

Craigs face flushes further at the other’s words, “um do you mean…..like physically?. “he says awkwardly. 

Tweek’s voice is higher pitched than normal sadness evident in his words, “ maybe you see me more as like a best friend and you’re just confused..because....”

“No,” Craig interrupts, “I.. I want to be with you!”

“Then why don’t you want to kiss me?” 

Craig stares up at the decals, their glow pulsating all around him. “But I do,” he admits to the plastic stars on his ceiling,”I want to kiss you so badly ,Tweek, I um..” a embarrassed laugh,,, ‘ i been practicing on um…a picture of you.”

“What?” Tweek shouts in disbelief. “You-you’re not serious.”

Craig’s voice sounds funny as if his vocal cords are coated with molasses , “ I think about it all the time, honey.”

Tweek’s word comes out in a whisper, “Then why haven’t you?”

Craig opens his mouth ready to blame it all on his father and his cringe worthy talk, but that isn’t the only reason he hasn’t listened to the buzzing in his head and claimed Tweek’s lips as his own. Tweek deserves more than half truths. He deserves to see Craig at his most vulnerable and so Craig admits it, the real reason he hasn’t kissed the other. “I am scared.”

There that wasn’t so bad he thinks as he awaits Tweek’s judgement.

“Me too,” his boyfriend admits. “And um… Craig…will you? You know? Tomorrow?”

Craig can’t help the smile that stretches across his face at Tweeks question. He can almost picture Tweek sitting on his bed - red face in his hands -as he forces out his confession. 

Craig leans back against his headboard arms behind his head his phone (now on speaker) rests comfortably on his thigh. “Will I, what?” He knows damn well what Tweek is asking of him but he can’t help teasing the other. He had spent all weekend hyper focused on the notion, the mere idea of kissing the other, and just what would happen if they did kiss had consumed his thoughts. He is imagining how he would do it. Would he casually lean forward and gently ghost his lips against the other boys at lunch, just like Clyde has done to Bebe a thousand times. Or Would he be brazen- and grab Tweek by his arm and pull him to him? Or perhaps he could just push him against the wall and…

“Craig?” Tweek’s voice pulls him from his little fantasies. 

Craig coughs embarrassed that Tweek caught him thinking such inappropriate things, “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

A heartbeat beat of silence and then, “about what?” There is a teasing almost flirty edge to Tweeks voice.

Craig’s entire face burns as he makes his lame attempt at seduction, “ oh you know, the usual,” his nasally monotone is slightly softer as he flirts, “just wondering what would happen,” he thinks about what would happen if Tweek was actually there. “If we kissed.”

Tweek’s panicked voice fills his ears and sends his nerves spinning, “Oh God! That’s too much pressure.”

Craig laughs softly, “ oh?” He questions coyly, “ is it?” He wets his lips, “ too much pressure I mean.”

There is no malice in his boyfriend's voice as a single word slips past his mouth, “Jerk.“ 

Craig flips the phone off just for the hell of it, but mostly because he is feeling good, for the first time in the last week he feels like things are normal between him and Tweek, no better than normal.

“You’re the one who just said kissing was too much pressure,” his tone is light as he teases the other.

“Ngh! Gah,” 

Craig can almost hear Tweek Twitch.

“That’s not what I meant at all ..”his boyfriend sounds slightly annoyed.

“No?” Craig inquires, “ so does that mean you want me too, “ and because he is feeling light as air, and his heart won’t stop dancing around his chest (which is a bit annoying) and the butterflies are rejoicing in his stomach, Craig decides to take this flirty teasing a step further and presses his lips together and makes a kissing sound into the phone. “I guess that’s the only way I get to Kiss you.”

“Craigory Tucker, you better kiss me tomorrow or i am going to give thecupcakes I made you today to the gnomes!”

“Well,” Craig starts, his voice thick with something that is very inappropriate, “ i guess for the sake of cupcakes I have no other choice but to kiss you.”

A happy little gasp comes from the phone line, “ do you promise?

“I am going to kiss you so hard it will take your breath away.” Craig is all too aware of the line he is crossing, and for the first time since his talk with his dad he understands what Thomas meant by being inappropriate. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly, I kind of went a little too far there…” 

Instead of a freaked out panicking Tweek shaped ball of anxiety screeching in his ear, what he gets is a flirty little laugh, “ have you been listening to Sarah mclachlan again?”

“Hey!,” Craig mocks offensive, “ Possession is a bad ass song.”

“Craig, It's a song about a stalker,” Tweek reminds and then in a softer tone, “but if you wanted you could play it when you know… “ a shy little giggle, “ you kiss me.” 

“Is that so?’ His smile is so wide it kind of hurt., “does this mean I can possess you too.” The second the words left his mouth he regretted them, what the fuck was wrong with him, why would he say that. “Ugh that was...sorry.”

Another long drawn out breath,“ please, I am the one whose going to possess you.”

Craig raises an eyebrow at that, “oh, yes cause you’re just so evil.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Tweek teases, and even though Craig can’t seem him, he imagines Tweek winking at him.

God damn! Flirty Tweek is as cute as fuck, “ no, I don’t think so. You’re just too adorable to be evil.”

“I guess you’re just going to have to kiss me and find out!”

Holy Fuck! Breathe Craig reminds himself. He has never heard Tweek so flirtatious before and well he would be lying if didn’t admit that he liked it. “The morning just can’t come soon enough.”

“Oh God! Craig, it's 2am.”

Craig looks over at his alarm clock, “well fuck, I hate to cut this short but…”

“See you in the morning, Tiger.”

“Oh, and Tweek one last thing.” 

“Yeah.”

“Save those lips for me.”

Laugher, “no, you save your lips for me. “

The line goes dead before Craig can answer and yet he isn’t upset that Tweek basically hung up on him, no, instead he can’t keep the smile off his face. He stands up and walks over to his dresser. He puts his phone down next to the upside down photo of the two of them, he lifts the picture up and puts it upright. After a brief moment of thought he lifts the photo up off the dresser and brings it up to his face and then he presses his lips against the image of tweek and then he returns the photo to his proper spot. 

He turns his gaze momentarily to his window- he stretches up a bit onto the top of his toes so he can barely see the moon out his window from where he is standing. Craig’s smile widens as he addresses the man on the moon, his most faithful lunar friend, “ I'm going kiss a boy,” he is giddy with the realization of it and practically floats as he walks to his bed. He flicks the lamp on his night stand off and then crawls under the covers. He closes his eyes and sleep pulls him into its peaceful slumber, his dreams full of a certain blond boy and his honey coloured lips. 

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is almost the end! The next chapter (which I plan on finishing after the creek server secret Santa story) will be the last and feature some 😘

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to post Tweek's reactions to their breakup in The Fractured but whole but I am having writers block.  
> So you get their first fight/kiss instead.  
> Creek is about 13/14ish in this.
> 
> Also giving his anxiety, and paranoia ,and the fact his parents feed him meth coffee, Tweek's jealousy would most likely take on a physical form.
> 
> Are the monsters actually there, maybe, maybe not!


End file.
